


Derek´s Life: A work in Progress

by Helloloveyes



Category: Sterek - Fandom, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: All kind of magic creatures, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Human-Werewolf Interactions, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-08-14
Packaged: 2018-02-10 06:35:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2014773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helloloveyes/pseuds/Helloloveyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek has a new chance and he hopes not to screw this over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I´ts my first post fic.  
> Yey! I have an amazing person helping me to Beta this fic!! ===> Sophie <3 thank you so much! 
> 
> We are going chapter by chapter so, hope you like it better now that the horrible grammar is not making your eyes bleed ;)

Derek woke up slowly. The smell of hospital was a constant by now, which he almost didn´t notice.

He opened his eyes.No change in the room.

The Sheriff came in with warm coffee and donuts.

“Here you go son, you need to eat something. Scott called, he needs you tonight.” He looked so tired and sad.

When he spoke, his voice was rough with disuse. 

“I´ll be there, then.”

 

They sat in silence like they usually did, listening to the beep of machinery that signified the room's occupant's steady pulse.

 

“Scott also told me that you feel responsible.” Derek felt his shoulders tense in response. “I know it wasn´t your fault.” The Sheriff´s voice had a shakiness to it. “I know my son. I know how much he cares for everyone in the pack.”

The words came more easily this time. “He's human, I´m not. It should be me in the hospital bed.”

The older man put a hand on Derek´s shoulder and let it rest for a moment.

“You shouldn’t say that. He did it to save you. And you brought him back to me. He will wake up. I know it.”

“Sheriff...”

“It´s John. I´m not on duty”

Derek met his eyes and held them, so he could read the silent promise there.

“I will find a way.”

“I know you will.”

 

 They stopped talking and just watched Stiles breath in and out on the bed. There was no more need for words.

**

Three months ago the pack had been fighting Dream Demons. Stiles had a plan; Lydia and Chris were the strategists that made it possible. Scott was the leader and the rest of the pack followed.

But somehow Derek had ended up captured and tortured—he probably shouldn't even be surprised at this point.

The creatures fed off their victim's worst nightmares, forcing them to relive every second. Derek failed to save his family a thousands of times in his head over those few short days, caught the scent of burnt flesh, saw his siblings engulfed by flames.

But the pack came, as they always did. 

In the end, using a spell Deaton provided, the pack came to his rescue. They killed most of the creatures but the last and strongest of them tried to finish Derek.

That´s when it happend. No one is sure of how exactly but all Derek remembers is Stiles getting in the way of whatever thing was pulsing from the demon's palms, and then holding his body limp in his arms.

Stiles had been non-responsive ever since.

 

No matter what anybody said, Derek knew Malia was right. It was supposed to be him in that hospital bed.

**

Back at the loft that night, the pack met to plan the attack against a witch coven that was slaughtering people in different parts of town.

Everyone was grave and restless, craving action to distract them from the reality of their emissary's absence.

Scott was having trouble controlling his anger. He needed Stiles; his best friend, his brother, to ground him. He dealt with the grief by making a major effort to be a better alpha--always saying, whenever someone asked why he was pushing himself so hard, that he needed to have everything under control for when Stiles woke up.

Malia hardly participated in the meetings. She was trying to find out more about her mother and kept her distance from Derek as much as she could. The last time they'd talked--more like she screamed at Derek- she'd made her feelings very clear.

Kira was trying to be there for Scott, but often ended up standing quietly next to Derek not knowing what to say to the werewolf. She didn´t smile as often either and that made Derek feel even worst. 

Lydia on the other hand was awfully irritated with how slow the rest of the pack was. They never quite understood her way of thinking or kept up with her the way the missing boy had.

Liam was adjusting to the werewolf life little by little but sometimes Derek wished Stiles was there to explain things to him like he'd always done with Scott.

All of them, in their different ways, felt his loss. 

Derek had never said it out loud, but now he was willing to admit it. Stiles was more important to this pack that he ever gave him credit for.

Derek missed the snarky comments, the dry wit and endless good-natured arguments, even the incessant chattering on in the background. Lydia was a genius and did a good job researching with Kira´s aid, but it just wasn´t the same.

Derek missed Stiles. He needed the boy back. It hurt him almost physically to see him still and silent in that sparse, stale bed; a dull, constant throbbing in the back of his mind that seemed to thud in time with the steady beeping of hospital machinery. He wouldn't have had it stop for anything.

He watched Stiles whenever he could find a moment, hoping every second would be the last of this nightmare and he would open his eyes—and that smart mouth of his too, to make some crude joke and annoy the hell out of him.

**

The raid to the coven went as expected. Only one got away.

**

Derek went back to Stiles´s room in time to say good bye to John who had to go to work.

 “Everything ok?” Derek nodded. “You are staying the night again?” Derek sat on the chair next to the boy´s bed, he never touched Stiles or held his hand—it would have felt wrong somehow, when it was his fault he was there in the first place. The warmth of simple, meaningless touch was a luxury he hadn't been able to afford for many years, and no longer deserved. John exhaled. “OK then. I´ll see you after my shift ends. Melissa -”

The glass of the windows shattered. 

A strong wind lifted the pieces into the air like throwing knives and Derek found himself using his own body as a shield between their invisible attacker and Stiles, the wind knocked out of him. The Sheriff was already moving, training kicking in, looking for cover.

After Derek placed Stiles´s body away he lifted his gaze to see the enemy.

The witch.

The woman had a wild face and a crazed glare mostly cover by er long filthy dark hair that fell in a cascade around her, only partly covering the scars on her face, neck and shoulders. She wore a long, shabby shirt and worn jeans splattered with blood and, after a low, threatening sneer, her eyes flashed with a terrible purple glow.

Derek wasted no time going on the offensive and thanks to the sheriff´s help they were quick to defeat her. 

The witch was mortally wounded, blood forming in pools around her body—but she rasped a laugh. It was an ugly sound, and when she spoke her voice was almost painful to hear.

“I'll have our vengeance, and finally the spell will be complete.”

Derek felt it in some beastly part of him before he knew what she meant to do. He tackled her and threw himself from the window just in time.

The explosion reverberated for miles around before they hit the pavement.

**

There was nothing... no pain, no light, just nothingness... for a while.

**

Derek was dead or he was supposed to be.

Instead he opened his eyes to feel warmth.

He was on his feet and three thrones stood before him.

Sitting in a stone throne was an older women, with a wrinkled, careworn face.

On the dark wooden throne, with leaves blossoming from jutting branches, was a young woman.

The last one was shape shifting. Sometimes it shined bright, then it looked rusty and dusty. There was a little girl sitting there.

The three females had long white hair and brown skin with big round golden eyes.

“Rise Derek Hale” the three of them spoke at the same time. “Let us thank you for releasing the world from a very dangerous and dark force. Those witches were trying to meddle with time, and their work could have destroyed us.”

Derek stared at them in wonder.

“We represent time. Past set in stone, Present ever changing, growing like a tree throughout the seasons. Future sometimes bright, sometimes doomed, changing with the choices you choose to make.”

The small child stood up. “We know you and admire your sacrifice. Your life was full of sorrow and regret. And yet you still did your best. You fought bravely.” Her sweet, reedy voice was endearing—it reminded him of his youngest sisters.

The young woman stood up too. “That’s why we want to offer you a chance to go back. Return to a time before you started losing. You will remember, you´ll still carry that loss with you. But you will have a chance to heal and change your story.”

Derek´s heart almost stopped. A chance to go back? Before everything had gone to hell?

“Worse things may happen.” She continued with firm warning. “Horrible losses, painful mistakes. You change one thing and a world of possibilities will form before you.”

The old woman stood then. Her voice was soft and wise. “But that´s life.”

The three spoke together again. “Or you could say no and rest in peace”

Derek thought about it...

 

...He could rest, at last. 

He wouldn´t have to worry about the inevitable new enemy threatening the innocent population of Beacon Hills every week. Maybe if the stories were true he would be reunited with his loved ones, finally able to ask for forgiveness, explain and apologize for causing their deaths.

...On the other hand, if he went back he could prevent it from ever even happening. 

He could stop himself from making all those mistakes, stop himself from losing everything. Change his fate (and theirs) for the better. Change the lives of his pack for the better. Stop more than one useless death.

It was hard. 

He had suffered for so long. 

 

What if he didn´t go back? 

 

He thought about the McCall pack, about the Sheriff, and mainly about Stiles… 

No. He owed it to himself to make one last effort. He owed it to those he loved to make things right.

“I say yes.” And a strong light blinded him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter ready!!! Thanks again to Sophie Watson! She is awsome and the story is so much better thanks to her :)

Derek woke up with a headache and damp patches on his face. Their faces were still swimming in front of him.

He opened his eyes,  and stopped breathing.

His room, he was back in his old room. His bed, bookshelves and posters. The dark blue walls he knew so well.

With shaking hands he pulled back the covers. He was lankier, less built. The hours he'd spent alone with his body and his guilt had never happened. He stood and tripped over his own feet. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible.

He jerked the door open, claustrophobia coming over him in waves--he felt nauseous. He needed to be out in the open, breathing the fresh air--maybe then he'd wake up and this would be over. He was about to take off running down the hall when he bumped into Laura. His older sister Laura, who looked like she was barely sixteen.

But his sister was dead, killed by Uncle Peter, cut in half and buried next to the empty shell of their old house, wreathed with purple wolfbane flowers. He had been a suspect in her murder, thanks to Scott and Stiles.

“Hey moron, watch where you're--” She didn't have time to finish. Derek was hugging her so tightly she could hardly breathe, his heart pounding in his chest.

 “I don't care if this isn't real. I've missed you so much.”

His voice was embarrassingly rough, shaky. Derek was one second away from crying like a baby when the smell of blueberry pancakes coming down the stairs hit him. He took Laura's hand firmly and drew her with him to the kitchen, ignoring her half-hearted protests, and not willing to let her go.

He only stopped, frozen in place, when he caught sight of a head of familiar black hair bent over the stove. The woman turned to scold the two teenagers when she heard them come in, flashing her red eyes for a moment and brandishing the spatula pointedly at them.

“What’s going on with you two so early?”

“Mom?” Derek ran forward and embraced Talia so tightly the air rushed out of her lungs, his sister hovering confusedly behind him.

“Derek, sweetheart, what's wrong?” she stroked his hair, holding him tightly. Somehow he couldn't find the words. 

“Mom, mom, mom.” he repeated over and over, with a broken voice between sobs.

Talia gazed at her daughter for answers, a crease between her eyebrows, but Laura just shrugged.

“Laura, honey, take care of breakfast.”

Laura was regarding the both of them with a troubled expression, but nodded all the same. “OK.”

Talia led her beloved son to the library and was about to close the door when Derek saw the date on the calendar hanging on the wall.

“Outside mom. We need to go talk outside. Please. No one else can hear all this.”

Talia saw the desperation in his face and agreed. She took him deeper into the preserve where no one could hear them and waited.

“I know this will sound crazy but please hear me out till the end.” She nodded. “I was 27 when I died but instead of going wherever I should have I woke up in front of three thrones.”

He explained what the women had told him, his mother's face still unreadable. Only when he told her how lonely he'd felt after losing his family, and then Laura a few years later, when he talked about things that nobody else was supposed to know did Talia show surprise. Her face was a mixture of shock, disbelief and confusion, but she recovered quickly.

“I know how it must sound, but my heartbeat proves to you that I am not lying. If the date is what I think it is, we still have time to stop Deucalion from falling into Gerard's trap. Please mom, we need to stop that.”

She considered for a moment.

“I will talk to Deucalion, but you need to promise me you'll talk to Alan Deaton about this. He's a consultant I think might be able to help us.”

“You mean your emissary.” Talia narrowed her eyes. “If it makes you feel better I will.” he wanted to wait a bit longer before pressing her about other matters but he remembered another thing. “We need to find Malia Tate, Peter's daughter? If the accident has already happened she must be in coyote form.” That only alarmed Talia more.

“How do you know about her?”

Derek sighed, heavily. “I told you mom, I come from a future I really hope will not be repeated.”

There were so many things he wanted to say but first things first.

They walked back home in silence. Derek mentally listing what he needed to do next, Talia hoping desperately that this was a bad dream on her son's part, but fearing all the same that it was true.

Derek had a hard time not falling apart when he saw the rest of his family. He hugged each and every one of them, telling everyone how much he loved them. Even Peter, because this was the before-the-fire-and-finding-out-how-twisted-and-manipulative-you-truly-are Uncle Peter. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed him until now.

That afternoon he had the urge to know how his pack was doing. He asked Laura to drive him through Beacon Hills. His sister was almost seventeen and pleased to have an excuse to drive the car around. Laura was full of life, just like he remembered her before the fire.

At night he shifted and ran back to town, stopping to look in on every pack-member's house.

Erika had had another seizure recently. Isaac's brother was not dead and his father wasn't yet violent, just ignored him most of the time. Vernon's little sister was missing and he was grieving. Lydia's parents were still married; Jackson was Jackson and had Danny. Scott was fine, dealing with his father abandonment of him and his mother, but Stiles…

Stiles was awake.

Awake and suffering. His mom had died two weeks ago. Derek watched and listened as best he could for a few nights before coming up with a plan. He had to make sure this time things were going to be different. Better.

He started with Erica. He felt like a creep following a ten year old girl around but he had to find a way to make contact. He didn't like to think about exactly how fucked-up it all was.

Finally, Derek took Cora to the public library. Erika was doing extra schoolwork; she had been missing classes and staying behind late--not doing so well because of the side-effects of her strong meds. He approached her while she was trying to reach a book on a top shelf.

“Here you go” He said trying not to sound like a grumpy teenager. Friendly, but not too friendly. The little girl looked shy and insecure, a lot like the first time he'd met her.

“Doing homework?” she nodded. “Me too. If you need any help don't hesitate to ask.” With a smile he waved her goodbye and took his seat next to Cora.

They were all homeschooled in the Hale family until they could control the shift. Laura had started school at fourteen, Derek at thirteen. Cora had finished her work by the time that Mrs. Reyes stood in front of him, with little Erika looking as if she were about to cry.

“Excuse me, my daughter told me you offered to help her.  You are an older boy approaching a ten year old girl alone in the library. If you think-”

Yeah, he saw this coming.

Right then Cora came back from the bathroom and stood with wide eyes close to Derek not knowing what to do.

“I'm sorry ma'am. This is my little sister. I was helping her when I saw your daughter and thought about inviting her to our table so maybe she could met someone her own age”

Mrs. Reyes still looked wary.

“My name is Derek Hale. I'm fifteen years old and I attend Beacon Hills High School. This is Cora, she's ten and currently homeschooled.”

“Oh, why is that?” The women asked, sounding a little friendlier.

“We all do, until thirteen. It's a family thing” She seemed to be thinking about it from another point of view. “If you don't mind, my sister and I come here twice a week. I just wanted her to have some time with someone her own age. I would gladly help your daughter too and the librarian Ms. Campbell can keep an eye on us if that would put your mind at rest.”

She considered it for a moment and Erika dared to look up a few times. Derek could smell her excitement and fear.

“She has epilepsy.” Mrs. Reyes said, and waited as if this meant he would reconsider.

“If you're afraid she'll forget her meds, I can always remind her.” She looked pleased with his answer.

“Ok, I'll talk to your parents this Thursday.”

“No problem.”

“Say goodbye, Erica”

“Bye.” her voice was low.

Derek smiled and took Cora´s hand to sit her back down.

“I don't need that much time to study.”

“I know.”

“You want me to be friends with her.” She didn´t ask him why.

“Only if you want to. I know she's a sweet girl who could use a friend her age. Just like you.”

**

Two weeks later, he was helping his dad with the grocery shopping when he saw Boyd. He was so small and his face was so sad. He bumped into him on purpose and Cora, who'd always been perceptive for her age, looked suspicious.

“I'm sorry. You ok?” he asked. The boy didn´t reply. He didn’t even look at anything but his feet.

“My name is Derek. Derek Hale. And this is my sister Cora.” Young Vernon was alone, with a piece of paper in his small hand.

“We can help you out with you shopping.” His sister offered.

Vernon looked up warily and then nodded, handing the list over to Derek. It was short and in the boy's own writing. Yeah, he remembered something about Boyd's story and how lonely he felt when his parents couldn't look at him without thinking about his missing sister.

“You know, my sister and I have a reading group, we get together in the library every Thursday and Tuesday to do homework. You're welcome to come sometime if you want.”

Boyd looked at him like if he was crazy.

“We also play cards when no one is watching” Cora wheedled.

They parted ways and only a week later Boyd showed up at the library. He didn't speak much but Erica smiled tentatively at him, and they seemed to be friends at once. Derek was sure that some things were just meant to be, whatever world.

After a while the parents let Derek take the kids for ice-cream every now and then. He was pleased with anything that caused a smile to be on their faces. And best of all: Cora loved them too.

**

Talia told Derek Ducalion fallowed her advice and was unharmed.

Malia was found in the den he told her and the girl was sent to a pack of were coyotes that could help her control her shift.

“She will be fine”

“Thank you mom, for believing in me”

Talia didn´t ask Derek to talk to Deaton again. She was working hard to accept his teenage boy was a grown broken man in a young body. She hurt for him, for the life of anguish he endured and still haunted him in his nightmares.

**        

The holidays arrived and Derek enjoyed every minute of having his family again. He asked his mom to pay a visit to the Stilinski house. It was their first one after Claudia´s death.

**

Talia knew they were good people but after hearing a bit of how much John had helped her son she was ready to do anything for that family. Her husband joined her and they brought a lot of food.

A small skinny kid with buzzed hair and big round golden eyes opened the door.

“Hi, can I help you?”

“We came to see Deputy Stilinski. You must be his son, Stiles.”

The boy narrowed his eyes. “Yes, how do you know my name?”

She covered up her slip well. Derek said something about Stiles being a nickname, since no one could pronounce the one on his birth certificate. The way the boy was looking at them was sharp, clever for a ten year old.

“We brought food.” Daniel answered quickly.

Stiles seemed surprised at that. “Oh, come on in then.”

The house was clean, but judging by the strong smell of whisky and the snores from upstairs it wasn't the dad´s doing. Her heart broke at last seeing the small kid using a chair to reach the high shelf for a plastic container so he could give theirs back. The boy chattered about a lot of different topics while making coffee and pouring it into a load of to his visitors. Daniel looked once at his wife to see this visit was more than just that.

“Dad won't wake up today.” he said shyly after a moment of silence. “He had a double shift and… well, he's tired”

“Don't worry honey, we just wanted to show our appreciation for him protecting this town everyday.”

That seemed to make the boy happy. The brief momet of awkwardness passed and he smiled, began talking a mile a minute again.

They said goodbye and get in the car.

Daniel sigh. “What is really going on?”

“It was a favor” she answered.

“OK, I trust you. You'd tell me anything important”

“Of course, my love” She kissed his cheek and took his hand, smiling softly.

**

After winter break Derek saw Paige more often. They had History and Chemistry together. He had nightmares about her death almost every night too.

Every morning when he woke he looked in the mirror to make sure his eyes were still yellow. That he hadn’t killed her. Sometimes he wondered if the Dream Daemons had in fact got to him and this was an endless dream meant to torment him and feed the creatures.

But then, he felt his sisters' embraces, his dad's heavy hand clapping down on his shoulder, the smell of their den with all their mixed scents and convinced himself that this was true.

After a very vivid dream in particular when he woke up gasping, Paige's name dying in the back of his throat, he stared up at the blue ceiling for a long time, thinking.

Was it best to keep his distance? Keep torturing himself like this? Or maybe if he could talk to her, make sure she was all right, maybe even try be friends again... the nightmares might stop. The thing was, to him, Paige wasn´t quite real yet. He saw her from a distance, listened to the beats of her heart, but that wasn't enough to convince himself. He needed to talk to her, to feel firsthand the warmth of her living body, to hear about the future she had always had planned and which his stupidity had taken from her; a life she now had a second chance to live. One day after History class he heard Paige talk to the teacher. She aimed for straight As in all her classes. Her goal was Julliard. She was having a bit of a trouble in History, and that (for her) meant a disastrous B plus.

Derek took a deep breath before he got the courage to talk to her.

“Hi, Paige.”

She managed to look offended that they were both breathing the same air.

“I just wanted to… well, every Thursday and Tuesday after practice I have a study group meeting at the library. I'm really good in History--”

“Who told you?” She cut him cold.

“I heard you and the professor talking.”

“Look, I don't need the school's star basketball player mocking me over this.”

Yes, Derek remembered how little she'd thought of him at first. He felt more relaxed now; he knew how to handle this.

“Hey, I just offered. If you're too good for anyone's help, just forget it.” And he took off.

**

That Thursday, a much less defensive Paige sat down between Derek and Boyd for almost two hours. “I would never have imagined…I mean, you, tutoring younger students?” She asked once they were outside the building. Laura was picking him and Cora up.

“No, I just help out once in a while. They're all really smart. It's more just a club for friends to meet up than anything else.”

“I thought your friends were the basketball team.”

“They're good guys, but jerks sometimes. We're just teammates. Erica and Boyd are my friends as much as Cora's.”

Paige smiled. “Derek Hale, full of surprises.”

**

And finally some of the nightmares about her death eased. He still had problems breathing sometimes when she smiled sweetly at him and Derek remembered the other smiles, the ones that spoke of stolen kisses and her embrace. His hands still shook a little when he saw Embry, Sam and Alex, the cubs he had never seen grow up, playing and running in the woods inside the preserve.

On those days he retreated to a far corner of the house or shifted and took off running through the forest, seeing his family through some kind of invisible barrier that made them look very far away as if in a dream. Stern, serious, depressing, gloomy, and grim; those were the words Laura used to describe him with the brand of mockery so unique to her. (And perhaps to someone else he used to know, a clever, sarcastic kid who he hoped would never have the chance to become that cynical and damaged.)

He felt the gaze of his mother on him, worried… but he didn’t belong here, in these easy-going, happy times. He was damaged and it was so hard not to look for the threat in everything, to relax his senses and come off the alert. He didn't smile as openly anymore as he knew he must have at that age; he wasn't that innocent kid who fell for every joke his Uncle Peter used to pull. He didn't trust like before, he had his guard up. But he was working on letting those walls down around his family at least, around his pack.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yey! Third chapter ready :) Thanks to the amazing Sophie Watson for her patience to clear all my mistakes. She is worth her weight in gold.  
> Enjoy <3
> 
>  
> 
> Spread the Sterek love :D

Each time one of the kids' birthdays came around they went for ice-cream and a movie.

Erica suffered a seizure in the library twice. Derek felt it coming and taught Cora how to help her if he wasn't around the next time.

Erica cried thinking they would be scared because of her illness and they would stop being her friends. But everyone assure her they loved her just the way she was. That made her cry even more.

By the end of school classes Paige was an official member of the group.

Erica asked if they were dating one afternoon. Paige didn't know how to answer so Derek did.

“Boys and girls can be best friends too, and still not be in love.”

“But you're so cute together.” she whined and the rest laughed at that.

**

Derek kept expecting to feel what he had the first time he met Paige, but it never happened. He loved her, yes, but as a friend--because she was an amazing person; and he felt especially happy when time passed and the date of her death came and went.

**

Derek ate breakfast with his family every morning with a laugh that never faded, despite the nightmares. He went to school full of energy, willing to be the kindest person he could be. He was a team player, giving his teammates a chance to shine. He loved his study group.

During dinner he asked about his siblings' day. He took the hours before sleep to read as much as he could. He even had a Polish dictionary he flipped through once in a while, just out of curiosity, and because he could.

Cora told their friends about Derek's weird hobbies. He took Latin classes during the summer and read tons of books without even one picture in them.

\--**--

For Derek's sixteenth birthday they had a small party with the kids invited to the Hale House for the first time. Talia heard little about her son's other life unless it was necessary but she could see that one day these humans were going to be  a part of her pack.

That night the Hale Pack ran through the forest celebrating, howling at the moon.

\--**--

During summer Derek and Cora got together with their friends at the park to play around. Even Paige left her cello practice for an hour to spend it with them.

It was the second weekend of summer break he heard about Isaac´s brother, the older Lahey boy's death meaning their father was going to start mistreating Isaac.

Or maybe not… maybe that could change.

Derek was anxious. He ran a perimeter night after night around the Lahey´s house, though the only monster in sight lived inside. When it happened for the first time, he lost control. He hadn't felt overwhelmed with that kind of anger since he'd begun his second chance--until now.

Derek was ready to kill him, but held back at the last moment.

The next afternoon he took Erica and Boyd to see Isaac.

“Hello Mr. Lahey. I came with Erica and Boyd, who go to school with Isaac, to ask if he'd like to come out with us for a bit.”

The man was hard to convince but Derek wasn't willing to give up. He could hear the humming of the little boy's heart, listening from the kitchen. The house reeked of fear, sorrow, grief and hatred.

He had to let Isaac know he wasn't alone. Not now, not ever.

After using all his skills of persuasion (they weren't much, if all the nicknames Stiles had once given him were any indicator) and the help of two sweet, innocent looking kids Mr. Lahey agreed and Isaac went out with them.

Paige and Cora were waiting at the park already. They settled at a table and had some snacks.

Isaac was quiet and a bit nervous but Cora forced her friendly exuberance over him and by the end of the hour he'd smiled once or twice.

That night the father didn't locked the boy in the basement and Derek was able to sleep for a few hours at a time.

Talia asked him to explain where he was sneaking out to every night and finally Derek opened up and told her both stories. How Isaac had been pack once, and how things were now.

“What are you planning to do?”

“I lost Erika and Boyd to death, but Isaac… I wasn't the Alpha he deserved.” Talia tried to argue but Derek knew better. “I am not meant to be an Alpha, mom. He joined Scott just as I did. I'm going to do everything in my power to give them good, long lives this time.”

It was hard to talk about his failures with his alpha, but he needed to tell someone or he would lose his control. The pain of losing his betas was a burden he'd never forget.

Derek felt the ache in his chest, the one that appeared when he thought about the few good things he'd had in his other life. Like the warmth of a hand on his shoulder in one of his darkest moments making him feel like he wasn't alone.

Suddenly he knew what to do.

“If I were to talk to the Sheriff I'd need evidence. Maybe I could go to Deputy Stilinski”

“Yes, that could be an option. I stopped by a while ago and he didn't smell like whisky. He's sobering up.”

“Of course he is. They're both very strong.”

“Derek,” Talia doubted for a moment. His son was particularly touchy in the Stilinski subject. “Why haven't you approached them like you have the rest?”

“Because as long as they have a chance to stay out of this, I won’t drag him into the supernatural world.” He answered, clenching his jaw.

Derek felt his eyes flash yellow; he felt very strongly about this matter. Stiles would never suffer through all the horror and death he had in that other life. The nogitsune was never going to possess him. Derek was going to keep him safe.

\--

Talia was taken by surprise. His son hardly lost control or show any challenging attitude. She notice the “they” switched to a “him”. Was this about John being a father figure in that other timeline? No, there was something more.

Talia went back through the rare moments her son had mentioned Stiles Stilinski, and realized Derek had never said he was bitten. No, the boy was a human running with a wolf pack.

She knew how hard that could be.

Talia felt overly protective of her husband, Embry and Samantha. They were humans, they couldn't heal as fast or defend themselves as well as the rest.

But she also knew how proud she'd felt the first time Embry overtook his siblings doing something at an early age; or how Sam was no less brave when a wolf showed sharp teeth and deadly claws, or when her husband fought next to her to defend their territory.

Those same feelings she could see and hear in her son's voice when he talked about Stiles.

They ran back and she hugged him once more before entering the house.

Their "walks” became a habit. It was a chance for Derek to talk about his secrets, troubling memories and new worries; and for Talia to ask about all kind of things. She found herself trusting in her young son's opinions more than she did in any other member of the pack.

\--**--

Derek was desperate. He went to the Sheriff's Station. He found John Stillinki seated at a Deputy's desk and walked straight up to him.

“Hello sir, my name is--”

“Derek Hale, I know.” They shook hands. “How can I help you?”

“I don't know if you've heard but I have a study group with kids about my sister Cora's age.” The man nodded. “Well, recently Isaac Lahey joined our group and I'm a little concerned. I don't have any evidence, I'm just… worried. I know he's having a hard time and I wouldn't say anything if I thought this was just my overactive imagination, but I'm afraid Isaac is being... mistreated at home.”

John waited, his face seemingly blank to any normal person. He was more and more like the man Derek knew, connecting the dots carefully in his head.

“OK, I would like you to keep in contact if you see any--”

“Hard evidence, I know sir.”

“Good.” he nodded approvingly. “Meanwhile I'll give him a visit. Nothing obvious, don't worry.”

“I trust you sir”

Derek stood up, said goodbye and left a startled Deputy behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter ready!  
> Hope you enjoy it!  
> my tumblr is helloloveyes

“When are you going to start school with us?” Erika asked.

“When mom says I'm ready to.” Cora answered.

“Derek started public school at thirteen.” The blonde girl explained to Isaac.

“I'm going to beat him on that.” Cora smiled showing a few too many teeth.

“I'm sure of it.” Derek approved.

**

Summer flew by and a new school year started too soon.

For Derek Hale every single day was a blessing. His family was whole and breathing and safe. Even Peter; but he travelled a lot, who knew where.

Paige was sweet and kind, Cora and Erika loved her and the three of them could talk of things in which Derek was lost. Boyd and Isaac were more open and talkative but still had a long way to recover.

Derek could smell the pain and helplessness on Isaac the days after a beating from his father. Those days didn't come often, the Deputy keeping his word and watching the Lahey house like an eagle.

Derek talked to Isaac about how important, how loved and care for he was. He tried to make the young boy realize he could step up and defend himself, that he wasn't alone.

Finally Isaac trusted him with the truth.

“It's not your fault. You don´t deserve this.” he assured him, looking him straight in the eye.

Isaac cried his heart out and then accepted Derek's offer to arrange a meeting with the Sheriff and Deputy Stilinski about his dad.

**

Christmas came along and this time it was Derek who walked with his mom to the Stilinski house with twice their weight in food.

It was John who opened the door, welcoming them with warm coffee. He talked with Talia about work, kids these days and even laughed at some of her bad jokes. Derek was happy to see him looking so well, though he knew better--John would never get over his wife's passing.

“I appreciate what you've done for the Lahey boy. You're very responsible for a sixteen year old boy.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Derek had a need to prove himself to this man.

Stiles was at the McCall house, which wasn't really a surprise. Those two were inseparable no matter the time line.

**

The Hale house was full for the holidays. Peter was back, Aunt Lizzy and Uncle Jeremy had brought little Emma to visit.

 

On the full moon the preserve was full of werewolves and humans alike, howling and running through the night full of joy that their pack was whole.

**

A new year started.

Derek talked to his dad about work, helped his mom with the dishes. He enjoyed the ride to school listening to Laura all bright and excited, chattering about college and boys. She was the same girl as she'd been at that age in the first timeline; it was like he remembered before the fire. The difference was Derek absorbing every little detail about her. Her easy grin, the loud laughter, the crinkles of her eyes when she smiled hugely after pulling out some clever punch line. This Laura was their big sister: relaxed, with her own life decisions on her shoulders and not the other one Derek knew: the beginner alpha trying her best to solve the world´s problems, especially her little brother´s guilt trip. He wouldn't let that happen again. Laura would have a long life, as full of joy as he could possibly secure for her, and that's what he repeated to himself, rank with sweat and fear, when he woke from the occasional nightmare where he saw her hemisected body lying in the woods.

After practice he got a ride with Paige and Cora to meet the others at the library. And then afterwards, Laura took them home.

Dinner was about spending time with his younger siblings Embry, Sam and Alex. The few hours before sleeping were reading time. His Latin was good, but Polish was a losing battle. It seemed he would never be able to pronounce Stiles´s name correctly.

He focused on his family books and history and secretly started work on his own “Bestiary." He found himself laughing thinking about what Stiles' face would look like if he knew what he was doing, could hear the boy's affronted voice in his head, see his exasperated eye roll. He missed a few things from his other life, most of them being Stiles's related, because he knew that that quick, battle-tested Stiles was never going to exist. But that was good. He would never end up in a hospital bed in coma because Derek was too slow to save him.

**

John Stillinski became Sheriff.

Derek talked with Talia about the possibility of revealing the truth about their family to him.

“If we ever find ourselves unable to protect the town against a threat, then yes, I will gladly trust our secret to him--but meanwhile I think he'll sleep better not knowing about all the monsters hiding in the dark corners of this town.”

Derek felt himself relax, agreeing

**

Mr. Lahey was going to obligatory therapy. Isaac spent most of his time with Cora and the rest. He was smiling more, his shoulders relaxing and his demeanor growing carefree and lighter.

**

Of course, Derek's luck ran out. He was walking home after a game when he saw her. Long blonde curls, a soldier's physique, coy smile and sharp eyes. Kate Argent was leaning nonchalantly against the side of her car.

“I'm sorry to bother you, I'm new in town. Could you help me out?”

She would have looked sweet to anyone who didn't know her as well as Derek did.

“Yes, go back where you came from.” He answered coldly, and kept walking.

It was hard to turn his back on her, but his senses were on high alert and with any wrong move he was going to take her head off.

She did nothing. She didn't even try to seduce him again as she had any of the other times they'd met.

Derek felt both relieved and angry. The first time he'd lived through this he had been such a blind idiot and it cost him his whole family, everyone he'd ever loved.

He warned Talia about Kate and Gerard.

“The fire is still a possibility if we're not careful.”

“We're going to be prepared. Don´t worry my son, I will not leave you this time.”

She hugged him tightly and together they planned step by step what they would do to keep their pack safe from the Argent monsters.

The date of the fire grew close and Derek became restless. The nightmares that haunted him were a vague blur of his family suffering, choking on the smoke and burning, and the McCall pack screaming for help while a were-jaguar Kate smiled her slow, deliberate smile.

**

“You know baby brother, you can tell me anything. Especially if it's a girl problem that's got you so shaken up.”

Laura commented one morning.

“Why would you say that?”

She looked uncertain for a moment, her fingers drumming absently on the steering wheel.

They were close, as they'd always been: she was the typical big sister, overprotective when something threatened her siblings but the first one to mock them if she had the chance. Derek knew her enough to know something was troubling her. Usually when it came to her love life she had no problem shouting out her thoughts, complaining about how stupid boys could be, if she thought someone was being an ass she would call them out on it. She was one of the best in her class; great at sports (obviously nothing too notably outstanding) and her classmates worshipped her.

But when it was about feeling plus Derek, then she could be seen biting the inside of her cheek, a little crease would form between her eyebrows and she would try to avoid eye contact until she could find the words or the strength to confront Derek about whatever it was that was bothering her. But that was the thing, Derek wasn't the wrecked, somber hermit he used to be. He wasn't. So, where did this come from?

“Because you keep shouting out at night: I'm so sorry Stiles, please come back, wake up...” She trailed off and Derek could feel his cheeks redden. She parked the car but didn't get out. “Listen, I don't know who she is but you can´t keep hanging out with kids to avoid her.”

“What?”

“It´s time to do something. I know love is scary, not least cuz we're creatures of freaking night. You don´t know if she can accept you for what we are. But I promise you it's worth it.”

“What?” Derek was so lost.

Laura took his hand.

“Don´t be afraid, Der. I know you have Paige, who I thought would eventually become something more than just a friend; but friendship is just not the same. Just try it. Talk to this Stiles, whatever the hell her name is, and ask her out. Maybe it doesn't work out and you´ll never have to see her reaction to our truth, but at the very least you can say you tried.”

Derek was still confused when he entered class, ten minutes late.

“What?” he mumbled to himself as he took his seat next to Paige.

**

The night of the fire, his whole family was together to celebrate the solstice. Laura ended up refusing her friends' invitations to go to the game and Derek told coach Finstock he couldn't make it.

Derek was jumpy, nervous, more fearful with every tick of the clock.

Uncle Peter was missing, which was nothing new. He was even stranger than Derek remembered.

Like most bad things, everything seemed to happened very fast.

They'd been listening to his Uncle Jeremy tell a story about their mom when she was younger. Derek, vibrating with tension and unspent energy, was already on his feet at the click of the front door. The smoke that engulfed them then was suffocating, stinging their eyes--almost certainly a mixture of wolfsbane and mountain ash.

The family was cornered down the hall, next to the basement door. Derek had Sam and Alex clinging to his arms.

The Alpha ordered everyone down the basement. She stood and fought with her second and Laura against the invisible enemy.

Derek left his siblings with Aunt Lizzy, the smell of gasoline hitching in his nose. It was happening, and this time he wasn't going to be the last man standing. He would stay with his family.

He ran up the stairs and found Laura on the floor next to his dad. He closed his stinging eyes. Concentrated on calming his heart rate, letting the wolf take control.

He heard the steps on his left and attacked, hurling the man from the window; and the smoke started to dissipate.

He could hardly open his eyes, weak with the poison he'd inhaled running through his body, but he thought of his family, his pack, and the pain he had felt once after failing them. The blistering of his skin and his eyes stinging in the smoke couldn't compare.

He took down another man outside the house, just through the main door, and found his mother bound, snarling, on the ground. The smell of ash and powdered wolfbane filled the air.

Kate Argent was gloating, savoring her victory over an entire pack of werewolves. This was the kill that would make her name in the hunting community, turn her into a legend for some and a mad woman for others. Derek was faster than he'd ever been. He lurched forward and disarmed her, slamming the butt of her gun so hard into her face he broke the skin of her cheek and felt the grinding of bone.

The police sirens surrounded them after that. The men tried to escape but it was too late. Derek took one of the shotgun cartridges, ripping it open with his teeth and kneeling next to his mother, igniting the powder with Kate's own lighter. He waited, holding his breath.

“You said…” his voice broke “You said you wouldn´t leave me again, mom.”

Suddenly the alpha growled, deep and low in her throat. She bit through her lip fighting against the pain, the black veins slowly receding.

“Derek.” she croaked, reaching out blindly for his hand.

“Everyone is OK.” he told her, feeling his own voice break as he took it, warm and solid in his, a reassurance that this time no one had been taken from him--and then the moment was lost as they were swept up by the wave of concerned paramedics and people, the Sheriff coming up at a half-run to check they were all right, his voice full of shock.

The firefighters got the flames under control. The EMT´s checked on everyone, especially his dad who'd been beaten pretty roughly.

Laura healed after the smoke cleared, taking the rest of the family out of the burning house.

The Hale family made their statements and gave their thanks to the Sheriff's department--secure in the knowledge that there was enough solid evidence to put Kate Argent away for a long time.

It was morning when they came back to the house. The upstairs rooms weren't too damaged, but the kitchen, living and dining rooms along with most of the furniture would need to be made over.

Derek found his cell phone dead and scorched. The smell of smoke was still heavy in his nostrils.

“It´ll take us time to fix this. But we are all alive and that´s what really matters.” said Daniel.

Peter was nowhere to be found and Talia suspected the worst. Whether he was dead or afraid to face her, she was going to find the truth eventually.

That night Derek slept on his bed with Embry, Sam and Alex piled up on top of him. Cora and Laura were crashing with his dad in the next room. Lizzy and Jeremy had fallen asleep in their guest room holding each other tightly, and Emma, only six year old, and the recently born Ephraim had been asleep for hours, exhausted by the night´s events. 

\--

Talia was unable to close her eyes watching over her family, her pack, thinking how close they had come to losing everything… If Derek hadn't given her a warning there would be thirteen bodies filling the town morgue.

Luckily, she had told the Sheriff she'd received an anonymous threat and asked him to be prepared. She called him in right away when the assault has begun and the Sheriff had arrived in no time. Derek had saved them all. She listened to Laura's story, how she'd seen him fight blind against the enemy, and Talia herself knew that he must have made her inhale the cure for her bullet wounds. Derek wasn't a pup anymore--hadn't been since he'd woken up that morning claiming he had a second chance, but the reality had never hit her so hard before.

Derek had suffered their loss once. He'd grieved for them, hurt and alone. Talia would help and wait for him to heal, would endure his nightmares and guarded looks with patient and kindness until he felt ready to accept his new life. She would make sure her son found peace and happiness.

\--**--

Derek and Cora woke the next day to receive Erica, Boyd, Isaac and Paige´s visit. They ran to them and hugged the air out their lungs.

“We are all fine.” he promised and heard the choked sounds of relief from his friends, his pack, because no matter whether or not they knew it yet, that was what they were.

Derek would do anything for any one of them--they were loyal, they loved each other and he trusted them with his fragile heart. That was the deepest bond a werewolf or a human could ever have.

**

For Paige's birthday Laura picked the kids up from school early and drove to the girl's house--together they decorated her living room with balloons, paper music notes hanging from the ceiling and paper hearts on the walls.

Derek and Cora brought the cake: vanilla with whipped cream and strawberries on top.

Paige smile like the sun when she got home and found her surprise party. Laura took hundreds of pictures, and Paige´s parents filled them up with food.

Derek took one where they were all together and smiling, framed it and hung it on his bedroom wall.

**

For his friends' birthdays, Derek made a habit of waking up early and driving Laura´s Camaro into town to take the birthday kid to a special breakfast. It was a chance to spend some quality time together so they could talk about anything and everything, bond.

For Cora's twelve birthday the Hale house opened its doors to everyone with chocolate cake and milkshakes.

**

Derek chose to spend his seventeenth birthday alone, with Talia´s blessing. He ran through the preserve, unable to erase the memories of New York, him and Laura alone, no pack, no family but each other. The burden of guilt, the heartbreaking silence.

Derek knew he needed to let go of--he had fixed one of the greatest tragedies of his life, but still it was hard. How to forget the feelings that had been his anchor for years; the rage at what he had lost, and the guilt that he still lived.

**

After school ended Derek walked his dad to a routine check up at the Hospital. They were in the waiting room when Derek looked up from the floor and heard Melissa McCall's voice.

“Thank you so much John. My shift is far from over.” She was on the phone. “Yeah, well, I can´t complain either. Even if his grades are good enough to pass, he could do better. I know we don't spend enough with them but…” she broke off with a sigh. “Yeah, thanks again, talk to you later.”

She came around the corner.

“Mr. Hale?” his dad stood up. “This way please”

Once in a room she took his blood pressure and looked at his wounds.

“The doctor will see you in a minute with your test results.”

“Thank you, nurse. See son? Nothing to be worried about.”

“Dad.” Derek groaned.

“I don´t know when it started but suddenly my son's become my baby sitter.”

“Dad, that´s not true.”

Melissa laughed.

“It happens. You have a nice kid there.”

“The best. He even teaches younger kids in his free time”

Melissa gazed at Derek. “You do?”

“It's not…” he sighed. “It’s more of a reading group. My sister Cora is twelve and home schooled, this way she meets friends her own age and I keep my grades up.”

“He is also modest.” Daniel confirmed.

“I have a twelve year old boy. Scott is great but I work too much and I can´t help him as much as I'd like.”

“When school starts, every Thursday and Tuesday at the library after classes. He is more than welcome to join”

Melissa smiled eyes determined. "He'll be there.”

**

Laura was cramming stuff into boxes for college. She didn´t know exactly what she wanted to do in life, but had been accepted at Berkley close to home.

“I'll be waiting for you, Der!” She yelled at him, grinning out the window of her car.

Derek waved goodbye. She would be back soon, he knew it. They wouldn't even have time to miss her.

**

“My mom said I can start school this term.” Cora announced proudly on picnic day.

“That's awesome!” Isaac shouted excitedly, and everyone surrounded Cora, already talking about all the trouble they'd be able to get up to with her swelling their ranks.

Paige took advantage of that distraction to sidle up to her friend and have a more private talk.

“Derek?”

“Yes?”

“How come you never date? Most of the guys on the team have girlfriends except for Jim--nobody likes Jim--and anyway, you could date anyone at our school. The girls and boys are into you.”

Derek blushed. He knew that, he could smell the want coming off of them on a daily basis.

“I just haven´t met the right person. I want to make things right.”

She locked her eyes on his.

“You know I´ll love you no matter what, right?”

Derek laughed nervously. It was weird to talk about this, knowing that she had been his first love in his other life.

“And when I meet the right person I´ll tell you."

She went on. "No matter if it's a she, a he or someone... not entirely human.”

He looked at her, his heart picking up speed. She knew. Not the whole truth, but enough. Derek took her hand.

“I know. Because you are amazing like that.”

She smiled kindly “Whenever you're ready.”

**


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more like a side story. Derek has no idea what Cora and Laura know about him.
> 
> Now beta <3 by the lovely and unique Sophie Watson

: How Cora met Stiles:

Cora was ten years old the first time she heard her older brother scream at night. She was so afraid she ran down the hall to her sister Laura's bedroom, and she hushed her to sleep again.

The screaming continued every night for weeks, and soon she grew used to it; Derek had nightmares. Her mom told her not to bother her brother with it, that it wasn't something he could control.

Derek was different too. He was suddenly more curious about everything Cora liked and disliked. He wanted to know. He was kinder towards their entire family, especially their siblings; he was more respectful of their Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Lizzy, suddenly not so self-centred anymore. Which was weird because according to Laura it was every teenager's right to be self absorbed and a bit narcissistic.

Then things got weirder. Derek took her to the library to help her with homework, and got her a friend. Her brother got her a friend. Cora felt a little embarrassed to have her older brother looking friends for her, but she appreciated it. Erica was so cute and shy, and nothing like any of the girls in the pack, who were boisterous and joyful and loud--including Cora of course. Then a few days later she noticed Derek approach this kid named Vernon, and for some reason she helped him convince him to join them too.

She knew there was more to it than the “friends for my sister” excuse he gave to the grown-ups, so Cora did what any self-respecting little sister would have done--she talked to Laura about it.

They were hanging around on the sofa in the living room. Laura was sprawled out over the couch, texting and playing absent-mindedly with her hair.

“Why would he want to hang out with little losers?” Laura mocked her, but she looked confused too.

Cora, who had been looking out of the window to make sure their brothers Embry and Sam were out of earshot, turned around and threw one of the cushions at her before running outside. She scored a direct hit. Laura growled playfully before chasing after her.

**

With time, Cora began to see how much Derek cared for everyone in the family. He listened to everything his dad or siblings had to say, he was always there with a helping hand for their fellow pack members whenever they needed him, even (especially) if they didn't ask. Their mother treated him differently too. Cora remembered the times Derek had acted childishly or stubborn, and got lectured by their parents, but now even Laura got grounded more than him. He stayed home more and took care of Alex so their parents could go out on what uncle Peter called their 'romantic escapades.'

She learnt to sense Erica´s seizures before they happened, and accepted Boyd's quiet ways thanks to Derek's advice.

The nightmares were still a thing. Three times a week at least. But Cora didn't mind anymore. She wanted to be just like her older brother some day.

It was the names that confused her the most. She heard Derek cry over their family a lot, but sometimes there were other names too mixed up with sobs or screams to understand. But one caught her attention: Stiles.

She was seated cross-legged on Laura's messy bed waiting, when her big sister got back from her shower.

“What's a Stiles?” she asked abruptly, with no further explanation.

Her brother was out walking with their mom again, they did that a lot.

Laura stopped in her tracks, raising an eyebrow like their mother used to. “I'm starting to think it's a girl´s name.”

“Why?” Cora frowned. It didn't feel quite right.

“Female instinct.” Laura said firmly as she started dressing.

She didn't argue; Laura was usually right.

Derek dreamt about Stiles more and more. He asked her to wake up or to come back. Sometimes the names Erica, Boyd and Isaac appeared too.

One day however, Paige came along and the theory about Stiles crumbled a little. But still, the days went by without anything more than friendship happening between this girl and her brother, and the Stiles theory became what, after many careful hours of research on her laptop, Laura called ' **canon**.'

“Don´t you see?” Laura was brushing her wild hair out after a late-night run in the moonlight. “It's obvious this Stiles girl left him heartbroken. He's decided to change his life since then and not date anymore. He's hurting and trying to heal. That explains why he'd rather hang out with a bunch of kids instead of people his own age.”

Laura had a point. But who was this girl? How come they'd never known her or heard about her?

Granted, Derek hadn't the most outgoing personality anymore, but if he'd had some kind of epic romance the whole school would be talking about it, wouldn't they?

Isaac came along during the summer and became Cora´s favorite, not that she admitted it. He seemed broken just like the rest when Derek found him, but she would gladly help her brother fix him too.

Her big brother had a “superman complex,” or that's what Laura told her with a mocking grin.

**

Cora had sneaked outside. She'd had a quarrel with Embry and run out towards the woods to calm down one afternoon, when she heard her mom's voice close. Cora felt her heartrate quicken as she realized--she was crashing one of her mother's newly habitual “walks” with Derek.

She was smart enough to move downwind to hide her scent, and slow her heart rate not to call attention to herself.

“She's crazy. She would do anything to destroy us.” Derek's voice reached her.

“The whole Argent family is a menace to our kind.”

“Not all of them. Chris Argent is a good man. You'll see when he moves here with his daughter Allison. They´ll be good allies. But the fire is still a possibility if we're not careful.”

Her mother's voice grew brisk, a tell-tale sign of emotion. “We are going to be prepared. Don't worry my boy. I will not leave you this time.”

Cora did not repeat a word of what she had heard. Derek's nightmares came back again in full force, every night until the fire.

When Cora saw her home burnt, an idea blossomed in her mind. Her brother knew the future, or at least part of it. That night, curled up between Laura and her sleeping father, she whispered in her sister's ear what she'd heard and what she thought.

Laura was quiet for a long time. “Surprisingly, that makes sense. Derek's nightmares were about the fire, among other things. I wonder why they haven't told us anything about it.”

They agree to keep it a secret.

Time passed, and Cora grew to love how Laura called her and her friends Derek's little side pack. Her brother was the best. He played with them and listened to them like no other adults did. And Paige was so delicate and such a lady, Cora wasn't used to that kind of girl. The women on her family were strong, with temper and attitude, they ran through the forest howling in the moon light. Paige was different and that appealed to her.

**

Finally, against all odds, Cora was granted permission to start school--breaking all of her sibling's records so far. Laura was a bit pissed about it but Derek just smiled proudly and clapped her on the back.

During her first week of school she also met Scott, the new member of their “selective reading club” as Erica called it.

On Friday Scott sat down with them in the cafeteria and brought a friend along. To Cora´s utter surprise, the kid introduced himself as: Stiles.

Cora was in shock. Was it him? The person her brother used to dream about?

“Is that a common name?” she asked when the slim kid, with his hair buzzcut to his skull sat down next to Scott.

“It´s not technically my name, but since my real name is impossible to spell Stiles is what everyone calls me. And to answer your question, no, it's not exactly common.”

She frowned. “If it's impossible to spell, why did your parents call you that anyway?”

“Well, it was my grandfather´s name. He was Polish.”

Suddenly she remembered all those nights before bed, when Derek read and repeated after his polish dictionary. She felt her jaw fall open and her eyes go wide.

“Oh, my God. It´s you.” she whispered. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage, and she was glad she was the only werewolf present.

Everyone on the table had their eyes on her, but she couldn't conceal her surprise.

“Do you know my brother Derek?”

Stiles was looking at her strangely. “Not really. I know your parents though, they came to visit one Christmas and I heard they came back again with your brother, but I wasn't home so…” he shrugged.

Cora jumped up from her chair.

“I need to call Laura. See you later!”

She called her sister immediately. It was too much. Cora needed to share this with someone or her head would explode with questions and theories.

“He's your age? That is so illegal!” Laura barked, a mixture of a laugh and a snort.

“Laura! Focus. This only adds to the insane “seeing-the-future” theory. The boy doesn't even know who Derek is yet.”

“Oh dear, and knowing our darling brother, he would try and stay away from him as much as possible.”

“What? Why? He's always saying he's waiting for the right person to date. Well, this is literally his dream boy, why would he avoid him?”

“First off: it's his nightmare boy, really. And second: I'm disappointed you haven't notice your older brother's tendency of not doing anything for himself. He lives to make other people happy these days. He'd never do anything even remotely selfish--like look for his own happiness.”

Laura waited for Cora to catch up.

“Because he thinks he doesn't deserve it.” she sighed.

“Bravo little sister. Now, that's why he has us. To make sure he finds happiness, no matter whether he wants it or not.”

“How are we going to help?”

“We'll see.”

For the next couple of weeks, Cora choked on the unspoken words. She kept an eye on her older brother in case anyone mentioned Stiles, hoping to measure his reaction.

But for some reason no one named him! It was so frustrating.

Until one afternoon. Laura was visiting for the long weekend and Scott said something about him getting in trouble with his “bro Stiles.” Cora literally heard how every single werewolf around stopped breathing, heads tilted in Derek´s direction, waiting for something. The worst part was that Derek hardly acknowledged the big event! As if he knew all along that Stiles was the best friend Scott talked about, that the “Stilinski kid” Erica and Isaac mentioned was the same  boy he had nightmares about.

Cora was struck by the realization.

 **Derek knew who Stiles was**.

And Laura was right; he was going to stay away from him.

“I told you.” her big sister crowed that night when they were both tucked snugly under Laura's blankets. “But we are going to make it happen. Once it's not illegal anymore.” she added with a small wince.

Cora rolled her eyes. “If it's meant to be, like the fire, there's not much he can do about it, right?” she reflected.

Laura nodded, agreeing.

At school she put a lot of will power in to liking Stiles; such was her effort that the boy didn't have to do much to win her over. Even if she didn't really understand how it was going to happen--Stiles claimed he was in love with the Martin girl ,and he was Cora´s age, and they didn't even know each other in this world-- but that wasn´t important. 

Cora was Derek's number one fan, and if Stiles was meant to be her brother's mate then they would love each other like pack. 

That was a promise.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a confession to make...  
> I wrote this fic on paper so all I really have to do is to type it down BUT... BUT there are vortex of doom for someone with a bit of Attention problems such like myself. These are call: TUMBLR, Youtuve and GoT game. I´m so sorry I get so distracted! I´ll try to update faster.
> 
> -Now Beta !! Yey!!

Derek's life was so different. His last year of high school was full of good memories, friends, parties, and mainly lacrosse because of the new coach.

He and Paige studied hard to be the best. Sometimes he sneaked out of a class to hear her play her cello--it soothed him. The melodies were a statement that she was alive and Derek's soul was untouched by the guilt and her blood. When those moments came, he sat down to listen with his eyes closed, and thought about everything good in his life now. Began letting the bad things go little by little.

Embry started to join their study group. He was human, but tradition was tradition and he was homeschooling for another year before start public school.

Their group was too big and loud to keep using the library so, after asking Talia´s permission, Derek invited them to use the Hale house as a meeting place. Before he knew it, Erica, Boyd and Isaac were spending every afternoon there on weekdays and the whole day on weekends.

Scott came twice to study; he was the same kid Derek had met the first time only younger and more innocent. The rest adored him from the beginning.

Paige stayed over for dinner often, and Talia and Daniel were content to have such a loud group of children running through the house.

Embry and Sam were happy to have new friends and Talia took Alex with her when she thought he was going to bite or flash his eyes to the humans.

\--**--

Talia was very excited when Derek brought Paige home, the girl was delightful--but soon she realized her son loved her like the rest, like a friend. She saw the kids finding in Derek more than just a big brother figure, a confidante, a protector... a leader. No matter what Derek said, Talia knew he would make a fine alpha one day.

**

On Holidays the Hales invited Isaac to stay with them. Mr. Lahey didn't hit him or lock him in the basement as he had in another life, but ignored his existence completely. If it had been up to Daniel and Talia they would have adopted the little pup.

\--**--

Derek and his parents visited the Sheriff, coming armed with food as if it was tradition.

John opened the door and welcomed them into his home as usual, with a warm smile and coffee.

The Sheriff was sitting in his usual spot. Or at least it had been his usual spot in another life.

“Congratulations on winning the game, Derek.” John said with an approving tone, and Derek felt warmth spreading through his chest.

“Thank you sir.” It felt somehow important for him to make a better impression this time, now that there was no murder charge on his criminal records.

“Have you thought about college?”

“Yes, I'll apply to Berkeley where my sister Laura is studying. If I get accepted I'm thinking about studying history.”

Derek felt nervous; they'd never talked like this before. It was always a new dead body that brought the Sheriff to call him and this very normal chatter was surreal to him.

“That's great. I hear you are one of the best students in your class.” John smiled a bit, his eyes gleaming with that knowing look of his.

“Third. Paige and Karen Newman are first and second.” To his horror he felt the beginnings of a blush.

He was blushing! What was going on with him? Why was it so important all of a sudden that John Stillinski should see him as a good young man?

They kept chatting for a long time about this and that before saying goodbye.

\--

Stiles wasn't home again and Talia noticed that her son still hadn't seen the kid yet. Derek kept managing to avoid him in a way that made her suspicious.

Why wouldn't he even see the kid? All the others practically lived in their home.

What was it with this boy?

\--**--

It was New Years Eve, and Derek was walking down the high street, enjoying the coloured lights, the peace and quiet of the night when he heard the soft crying. It came from the park. It was late; the dim light of the street lights couldn't quite chase the darkness away.

He followed the sobs until he found a girl sitting on the swings. She had long strawberry-blonde hair and he recognized her immediately.

Lydia Martin was one of the people Derek wanted to keep away from his world. What it meant to be a banshee; to hear death coming, to see things with her waking eyes what others only saw in their nightmares... he couldn't let Lydia suffer through that now that he had a chance to change it.

But he was forgetting that she was hurt too, a kid with problems and in need of true friends. Allison wasn't here yet so that meant she was alone, hiding her brightness wit to fit in.

“Hi.” he said awkwardly, through gritted teeth.

The girl wiped away her tears quickly. He could smell her fear, but her expression gave nothing away. She was still Lydia, regardless of supernatural powers--never letting others know her true feelings was her gift.

“I'm Derek Hale.”

“I'm not telling you my name, creep.” she said with a toss of her strawberry hair, and he had to hold back a grin.

“You don't need to. You shouldn't be here this late, it's dangerous. Let me walk you home.”

She narrowed her eyes. “As if I'm letting a stranger walk me anywhere.”

“My sister Cora goes to school with you. I can even give you my phone to call your parents and tell them I'm taking you back.”

That drew a reaction out of her; she hid her face again and the scent changed: sadness.

“Or, we could have hot chocolate at the 24/7 dinner. They have really good apple pie.”

She inspected him with those smart eyes. He got the feeling that he had been tested, and not quite found wanting. “You are paying.” she said. And so he did. “I'm Lydia by the way.”

They drank hot chocolate and each had a big slice of pie. Derek was good at not talking--he had years of practice--giving her space. After an hour had passed she asked him to walk her home.

On their way back she told him a bit about how tired she was of being used by her parents to hurt each other, how lonely she felt in such a big house.

Derek listened to the kid. There was still time to help her without necessarily drawing her into the supernatural world, he knew it.

“You don't have to be alone, Lydia. You can have friends.” She shook her head, surely ready to retort with some negative comment. “Listen to me, I mean it. There are great kids that can be there for you, they might not be as clever as you--I don't think many people are--but loyal to the core.”

She still looked unconvinced, but Derek handed her his phone.

“Here, type your number and I´ll send a text with mine. You can talk to me whenever you feel like. No matter the time.”

She did as he said. “I'm warning you, I'm not falling for any sexting with an older boy.”

Derek barked a laugh. “I wouldn't dare propose such a thing, Miss Martin.”

She gave him a tiny smile before leaving him for the house.

Derek heard the screaming, war of blame and insults inside haul to a stop. Lydia's mother cried in relief and her father grounded her for disappearing.

**

As expected, it took time for the new member of the group to be trusted by the rest, especially because they were afraid to talk to (or even look at) Lydia; but Scott and Paige did some good work.

Derek began getting texts from her, at first just every now and then, then once a day, and finally after a few months she lost the last of her inhibitions and started calling him at all hours to talk about whatever was on her mind instead of waiting for his replies -since he took forever to answer his texts-. Lately, she had been trying to cajole him into going shopping with her so she could 'liven up' his wardrobe. (He didn't hold out much hope for refusal. This was Lydia Martin he was dealing with after all.)

\--

Derek even talked Mrs. Martin into letting them all crash her house once to celebrate Paige's stellar performance in a school recital.

That day Lydia decided that throwing cool parties was good, but spending her time hanging around with a bunch of weird kids and a true friend was even better. She opened up to Derek about her problems in a way she had never thought possible. She found herself laughing at some of Cora's ironic comments, enjoying Erica's company and Boyd quietness, basking in Isaac and Scott's sweet and innocent questions, Paige's bright smile. She felt accepted.

When Cora mentioned Derek knew Latin her heart almost stopped.

“I study archaic Latin.” she mumbled, and everyone smiled warmly.

Derek didn't look surprised--he just looked smug, like she was the most amazing person on earth and he had just been waiting for everybody else to see it. Lydia might have had a crush on Derek if she had never met Laura Hale. She was  the woman Lydia intended to be. A strong, independent beauty with a natural gift for dominance.

\--**--

Derek was eighteen. He had his beautiful family, an awesome pack, everyone he had once lost was now alive and kicking. Paige had been accepted to Juilliard and New York had so much to offer her. The whole “little side pack”, as Laura still insisted on calling them, attended Paige's concert at the end of the school year and gave her a standing ovation.

Derek would be joining Laura in Berkeley. “Let there be light."

He felt so much better about himself. The nightmares were rare now and he was finally accepting that this was his life. No one else’s. And it was no dream he would ever have to wake up from.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for the kudos! I actually can´t believe someone read my story!!!!  
> Hope you like this bit.

For prom night Derek asked Paige to go with him. 

**

“That suit looks great on you Der” Laura was back for the occasion and took picture after picture, no flashes of course.

“Thanks, Lydia helped me to picked it up”

“The new member of you little side pack” She winked to Cora.

“It´s not a pack, we are friends” he corrected but no one was listening.

“Here, take my car son” Daniel was about to give him his keys.

“Oh NO! He is taking the Camaro. That´s the whole point of me being here” Laura said.

Talia, Cora and Sam wanted more pictures with Derek in a suit before letting him go.

“I´m running late” He excused at last.

Paige was beautiful, outstanding with a pale rose dress that seemed to fly every time she moved. Her long chocolate hair fell like a cascade over her back.

They had a great time with the teammates and their dates. Derek felt like a teenager for the first time in years! They dance the entire night.

Derek was crown king and felt very awkward standing in the scenario in front of everyone under the spotlight. The queen was a girl Derek never spoke to. They had a waltz and then he left her for Paige.

“You could go with her, you know?” she joked suggestively.

“Oh I know” he laughed taking her back to the dance floor.

**

The sun was rising. Derek and Paige were having breakfast in the 24x7 dinner, a few tables away from the rest of their classmates.

“I´m a werewolf” he revealed.

Paige stopped chewing; her eyes wide open in shock. After a moment she swallowed and drank some of her latte macchiato.

“Werewolf like, I howl to the full moon” He nodded. “Like physical changes?”

“Claws” He show his hand to her extending and retracting his claws. “And fangs” he smiled showing too long teeth.

“And glowing eyes” she murmured. Paige took in everything slowly. “That actually explains a lot” she said before continuing eating.

She made a few question and Derek listened to her heartbeat and her scent, no signs of fear. He knew she would accept him but living it was even better.

“Why tell me now? I´m going to New York in two days and I would never figure this out”

“Because I trust you and I hope we keep being friends, no matter the distance. I wanted you to know me for real”

“Well…” she thought for a second “I´m secretly afraid of butterflies. Never told anyone”

He laughed. Derek was happy.

\--**--

After Paige left Derek spend most of his summer with his family and friends at the Hale house, packing up his stuff.

Talia throw a goodbye party: cake, food, friends and family and… Stiles.

Yes, she was a bit worried about her son not dating anyone since ever and probably was more than curious to know what this kid meant for Derek in his other life, but no, this was about… well not _only_ that.

She thought that maybe it was a mistake when she saw her son´s expression.

\--

Derek was shocked. He had been so proud of himself for not crossing path with Stiles until now. He didn´t know how to act so when Cora and Scott introduce him, all Derek did was grunt a no comprehensible hi.

Stiles was barley thirteen, had a lot to grow yet. Derek had to look down to meet those round honey eyes. Like a bambi. And the moles, he remember those moles vividly plus the buzz cut. This was the boy who could become the most grand pain in the ass, annoyingly gifted guy, with a never shutting smart mouth, sarcastic shit Derek ever met.

He felt like every one of his actions were watched. Feeling stupid Derek took the first opportunity he found to escape to the bathroom.

No, he wouldn´t let Stiles in. The kid deserved a normal life. He took a deep breath and focus on his pulse.

Remembering _his_ version of Stiles hurt him. This Stiles wasn´t the same…

“It´s odd. An eighteen year old popular boy who hangs out with younger kids. Way younger” Stiles voice rang on his hears and made him laugh.

“What do you mean?” Scott sounded confused, like he never thought about it.

“I mean is weird he rather spends his time with thirteen year old girls instead of dudes his age”

 _This really is Stiles._ He thought.

No matter the time line. He was clever, noticed things others didn´t, connecting dots and finding patterns. They couldn´t be close friends. Otherwise this boy was going to figure out the Hale´s secret.

Derek left his hiding place ready to ignore the kid. He would be cold and distance and Stiles would probably stay away.

“You are only saying that because you are jealous” Scott complained.

The two friends were seated on far wall thinking no one could hear their murmurs.

Lydia took Derek´s hand right then and made him seat in the middle of the sofa.

“We bought you a present” Laura cheer throwing the gift at him.

Derek opened it and found a leather jacket, his leather jacket, the same one he received from Laura his first eighteen birthday. They were alone in New York and not in a mood to celebrate. His big sister took off for a few hours and came back with it.

“Thank you Laura” Derek´s voice was full of fondness. “I love you”

“Well, we all collaborate” Cora complained.

“It´s from all of us” Lydia said at the same time.

“And I love you all” Derek responded warmly.

He was a complete different young man.

“Aw, group hug!” Laura screamed and jumped, knocking Derek to the floor. His siblings and the rest of the teens followed, Scott was on top of all the mix up bodies.

\--

Stiles stared from his chair. He never saw Lydia so… so honestly happy. Yes, he was more than jealous, but it was odd, for real. Why would Derek too-hot-to-be-real Hale, star athlete, second best student of highschool, _greatest dude ever existed_ according to Scott, had this kids like his BFFs. That made no sense. The whole Hale family was a puzzle.

 --

Laura was telling some anecdotes from collage life when Derek felt it…

“Erika” he called in time every werewolf in the room tensed.

The girl was coming back from the kitchen. Her eyes rolled back and her legs give in before starting to convulse.

Derek caught her before hitting the floor and held her during the seizure. When it passed, Derek knew how embarressed she felt.

“Can I carry you upstairs?” He asked and waited fot her to nod, tears on her eyes.

He took her to Cora´s room.

“I´m sorry” she whisper.

“What for?”

“For ruining the party”

“You did not” he kissed her forehead. “Come down when you are ready. We´ll be waiting. We love Erika. Always”

Cora gave her clothes so she could wash up.

Downstairs Lydia was planning a sleep over and Laura was calling to inform the parents. Seeing those two together made him shiver. He always found in the other Lydia, things that resemble to Laura. Now that he saw them inter act he had no doubt someday they could conquer the world, if they were ambitious enough.

Stiles big round eyes were on him.

Derek figured Scott was right; the kid hated his guts because of Lydia. So he smiled back at him confident and defiant. He was leaving to collage and Stiles was going to have to deal with Derek being friends with the love of his life, like the other Stiles always said… until Malia of course.

Suddenly Derek thought about how he changed that...

Stiles was probably not going to meet Malia. Then would he always be in love with Lydia or he was going to be friends with her someday too.

Why Derek even cared about that? That was any normal problem for very normal kids. Not that Stiles was actually normal (?) Stiles was extraordinary. _Ok stop_. No more thinking about the kid.

Derek took some cake and focus on Isaac chattering with Embry about lacrosse.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! My great Beta Sophie had to leave this project so I had to look for some assistance all over again.  
> Now the awesome Mila is correcting my horrible grammar. Let´s hope I can finally end this one day soon...  
> Leave a comment if you like the story :)
> 
> Enjoy!

John Stilinski arrived late in the night to pick up his son and Scott. The house was light up and loud.

“They don´t look like sleeping at any time soon”

“I´m afraid not” Daniel chuckled.

He had a cup of coffee and cake while watching the kids.

“You have to come to our games” Isaac Lahey pleaded.

“Of course” Derek indulged.

“And for my birthday” The youngest girl of the Hales asked.

“And thanksgiving, Christmas, new years” Embry insisted.

“And our birthdays” Cora remained him.

“I promise I´ll come as often as Laura”

“Hey! I don’t come _that_ often” She hit him in the back of his head. The kids laughed. “I don´t” she snarled.

Snarl?? John blinked. That was…

“John” Talia show up in front of him “here, take some cake to your home”

“Oh, thanks Talia”

Laura approach him with a sly expression.

 “You know Sheriff, your kid was implying earlier how suspicious my brother is, hanging out with younger kids”

\--

Laura had to say it.

Stiles blushed and his dad looked apologetic.

“Which only proves how smart he is” Derek defended him without even thinking.

“We should be careful too, it´s a dangerous world we live in” Lydia provide without raising her gaze from his cup.

“Very true miss Martin” Daniel approved.

Derek felt Stiles staring at him again but focus his attention to John and the adults who started discussing the topic.

\--**--

“You are going to be missed” the Sheriff said.

“I´ll be back sir”

Derek Hale shook his dad´s hand, hugged Scott but only nod on his way like a goodbye.

Ok, Stiles might not be one of the group, but still. Not even a hand shake?? Rude much?? And the way he looked at him, like his mere presence was an insult. Yeah, he noticed the look when he saw Stiles there. The worst was seeing how nice Derek Hale was with _everyone but him_.

On the way home Stiles ranted about every weird detail he found about the Hales in general. Not especially about certain eighteen year old enigma. Nop. Not. At. All.

“How did the old sister heard our conversation? She was on the other side of the room”

“You are not necessarily quite dude.” Scott shrugged.

“What about how threating she looked?”

“She was joking around” Scott defended.

“She roar Scott. Roar!”

“So what? Cora does it all the time. Embry as well, all of them. May be growing up with so many brothers and sisters makes that to you”

“Ok, how about he knew when Erika was going to have a seizure??”

Scott spend that night in the Stilinski house listening to Stiles babble on and on about the Hales, especially Derek.

“Stiles, Derek is a great dude. He helped a lot of people including me. Can you please stop trying to find something odd about him? Even your dad likes him”

“That´s true” John confirmed serving more coffee in his mug the next morning.

“Anyway, he is gone all ready. So you don´t have to be jealous about Lydia anymore.”

Stiles chew angrily. He wasn´t jealous, at least not now. He was obsessed with the image of that older boy in a leather jacket. Couldn´t think of anything more since last night. He hated him before for stealing time with his best bro, and worst later on Lydia Martin, the love of his life was blinded by that guy too.

But now… now it was different. Now Stiles felt the compulsive need of knowing everything about that serious face, with scary eyebrows that looked impossibly hot on leather.

“I hate that guy” he mumbled.

There was something more, why Derek treated him differently than the rest? He looked almost angry when he talked to Stiles. There was something there and he was going to find out what.

\--**--

Derek moved in with Laura. He had a lot of things reminding him of their time alone in New York. But these were happier times. Living with his big sister meant: fight over stupid stuff, tumbling over the couch and to the ground once in a while trying to reach for the remote.

This was new and exciting. What could go wrong?

 **Everything…** we are talking about Derek Hale after all.

The weekend before classes started a guy was found dead on his dorm by a roommate. Laura assured Derek that it was a human thing and they were safe. But there was something off on the way the body was found, almost ritual. Derek started the semester, trying to forget about it.

Derek tried to let it go. He started the semester, texted an called his family and friends in a daily basis.

The classroom was so overwhelming with new scents that took him the whole week to identify the chamomile and mint mix with odor of magic. He remembered the witches he faced smelled like incense, burnt branches, sulfur. This one smelled new to him, surprisingly pleasant and very subtle.

After his lecture he followed the scent around campus until the apartment building where that boy was found dead.

“Great” he talked to himself.

Derek went back and told Laura about it, but she warned him to stay away.

“This is not our territory. This is no one´s land. It is not our responsibility. Do you hear me, Der??”

But of course he wouldn´t let it go that easy. He _is_ Derek Hale after all. Taking care of people, felling it is his fault if something bad happens is just who he is.

**

After a few weeks of lectures, research, obligatory reading and Laura on his back like an eagle opportunity strike.

“Are you sure you can´t go home for the weekend?”

“I told you Laura I wish I could go see everyone” he was being honest, very focus on his heart rate “but I need to stay this time” that was true though.

_Good thing Scott taught me how he lied to Young Derek that one time._

As soon as Laura was out of hearing distance he went back to the residence’s building, tracked the scent t the third floor and knocked the door. He needed to know who he was dealing with.

A girl opened the door. She wasn´t tall, barely 1.60 meters height, maybe less. Round face, full lips, wavy brown hair but it was the eyes that scream for his attention, they were honey-brown like…

“Stiles” he said too low for no good reason.

She frowned. “Hi… can I help you?”

Derek made a show of sniffing the air. “I was just curious, you are a witch aren´t you?”

The girl’s eyes flashed purple for a split second, which was new. She took a step back and waited.

Derek noticed the mountain ash at his feet.

“You can´t cross” she smiled “You better leave before I make you”

Derek ignored the threat.

“I am not here to fight. My name is Derek Hale, I´m a werewolf and we have a class together. All I wanted was to introduce myself to avoid any possible conflict in the future.”

She looked unconvinced but Derek couldn’t care less. He had a plan.

“See you around” he said turning to the stairs and leaving the building.

Crossing the street there was store; he climbed up to the roof and used the night as a cover to watch over any supernatural activity.

He was bored after the first thirty minutes… something was missing. He remembered the last couple patrols he did back on his other life…

Stiles… the young man went along with him. Of course, how could Derek ever forget the frustrating and constant talking! Sometimes Stiles said things that made Derek fight back a laugh or something really interesting… though he never admitted that.

Around three a.m. the witch left the building in a hurry. Derek followed her through the campus to a clearing deep in the woods close to his apartment. It was cold and dark but his wolf could see, smell and hear everything.

She draw a flourish circle in the dirt and perform an incantation in Latin. Good thing Derek decided to learn the dead language. The little witch was seating a protective ward.

From the shadows a white figure appeared. It had a human-like shape but somewhat grotesque. It smelled even worst.

“You were looking for me” she said.

The creature opened his lips, showing irregular teeth and it´s tongue hang on the side, like already testing her flesh. It moved around the circle, unable to cross.

“I knew my message would make you leave your hiding.” A thick voice said.

“You killed an innocent. And everyone calls _ME_ an abomination” Her voice was full of revulsion.

The young witch took a small bottle out of her satchel and throws it to her pursuer. The creature fell to the ground convulsing. Red blisters forming in its skin. She sang words in Spanish until it stop moving. She scattered a powder in the air, above the body. The powder ate the skin and flesh away leaving bones alone.

She broke the circle and sighed wearily.

“I thought you were responsible for the killing” Derek admitted when he stepped out of the shadows.

She assumed a defense position. And just for a bit her eyes were purple again.

He raised his hand “Hey I´m not here to fight, seriously. I just wanted to make sure you weren´t out here killing people” She waited. “I can help you burry the bones unless you have some magic that eats bones too”

She bite her lip. Eventually relax enough to accept his help. They didn´t say much but Derek was a quiet guy so that was ok.

When Derek was ready to leave she talked.

“That was a _Pombero_ , mostly lived in South America but had emigrated to other continents after the colonization. The dead of that guy was partially my fault. This specie feels strongly attracted to females with certain characteristics. In my case: magic.” She shook her head. “I have been carless. Even you smelled me”

“You can hide your scent?” she nodded silently. “May I ask, how can you use mountain ash?”

“I can´t” Derek frowned. But didn´t push the subject.

“I guess I´ll see you in class?”

“Thanks for the help” she mumble. Of course Derek heard her well enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used here the word Pombero. There are leyends about it in Argentina, but I changed it. There are a lot of stories and you can see some images if your interested here: https://www.google.com.ar/search?q=pombero+leyenda+argentina&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=CazhU7S3HdTboATI_YCIDg&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=775  
> Sorry I´m very bad posting links.  
> http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pombero 
> 
> I´m so sorry...


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haven´t seen the last episode yet... I just can´t. Waitting is not my thing and knowing I´ll only had 45 minutes and then wait another week??? Can´t do that. So I bussy myself for at least two weeks and then have 90 minutes of Teen wolf!!! and a lot of chocolate...
> 
> After mentioning that fact: I wrote another fanfic <3 all I need to do now is type it on the computer.
> 
> ...
> 
>  
> 
> that might take a while.

The next time he travelled with Laura to Beacon Hills. That night they had dinner with the whole family. Cora had so many things to tell, Embry was bigger, about to be thirteen and haply attending to school already. Samantha had a lot of question and Alex and Emma hugged him and rubbed their faces in Derek´s shoulders to make him smell more like pack.

Little Efrain was almost two.

The next morning Derek took his dad´s car to pick the gang up.

He stopped in the Martin´s house first, surprising Lydia who jumped in his arms. She was mad for not coming sooner.

Sometimes it was confusing, he had to admit, watching this Lydia becoming more and more like the other one. The one he knew less but felt like pack all the same. On those moments Derek stays quiet, watching intently into her eyes looking for some indication that this is not real. But every time those brilliant eyes stare back to him with nothing more than affection and trust he breaths better.

Same happened with Erica. Boyd was growing into the teenager he met once, but now he smiled and looked happy. Isaac followed Scott everywhere despite Stiles joking/complaining about it.

They were all together in the coffee shop, even Stiles. Derek needed to get used to him being around but every time he had to talk to the kid he ended up sounding like a grumpy asshole.

“Why you didn´t come with Laura the other weekend?” Erica asked.

“Some girl keeping you busy?”

He smiled at Lydia´s question. “Yeah, something like that”

It was the truth; he stayed because of a girl.

They didn´t talk again and Derek didn´t even knew her name but he had a good feeling. She could be a good ally and who knows, even a friend.

Suddenly everyone was too quiet.

“Really?” Boyd was the one to talk again.

“Well, yeah… maybe you´ll met her one day”

He was being optimistic until he saw Erica´s expression. Derek replayed the conversation and … Ooo _oh!_

“I thought it will never happen” Cora made and overreacted expression.

“What she wants to say is that we are all happy for you Derek” Isaac smiled brightly.

“You sound like he never dated anyone before” Stiles mocked. When no one answered he looked confused. “Wait, what? But… but what about that cello girl”

“ _Paige._ Her name is Paige, not cello girls and she is a friend” Lydia rolled her eyes.

“Are you telling me that super sports star and second best student of Beacon Hills, Derek firkin Hale had never _, ever_ dated anyone?”

“I thought you came third” Boyd ignored the rest of Stile´s comment.

“A last moment change. Karen Nweman got a B plus on her last test with Harris” Derek shrugged.

“How did you know?” Isaac bumped his shoulder against Stiles´s.

Derek heard Stiles heart rate speed up, and wasn´t the only one. Cora seemed amused.

“Are you all going to ignore the main subject?” He complained.

“He is just waiting for the right person to date” Erika stare at Stiles daring him to mock about that with a I-am-going-to-punch-you-in-the-guts kind of look.

Derek wasn´t joking when he had that talk with his friends. He had the worst romantic history in the world. He was very determine to wait until he found someone he could trust his life and heart with, someone that made him feel safe to share everything.

“Hey guys, it´s ok.” He forced himself to gaze Stiles eyes “I know is hard to understand but I don´t want to fool around. I want the real thing and I´m not settling for nothing less”

Stiles was going to be fourteen in a few months, he wouldn´t get it yet. Those big round honey-brown eyes stared back.

“But you have kissed a girl, right? Wait; no way are you still a virgin.” He sounded astonished.

Scott face palm. The girls seem about to jump over the table and beat the crap out of the boy.

“That is a very personal question made in the wrong situation” Boyd reprehended.

Derek burst into laughter. Was he a virgin? He had sex before but this body hasn´t. Was there a right answer here?

“It´s ok. I know Stiles has no filter what so ever. He can´t help it”

The boy looked even more startle and a very cute blush dyed his cheeks.  

\--

No way was he hearing this. If it was true then he might die a virgin. How could Derek hot-as-hell Hale not have dated… ever?

He wanted to kick himself for saying way too much. Lydia´s and Erica´s death glare were fatal, add Cora´s crazy color changing shit and he might be as well burry himself down.

This sucked! Scott only agree to take him because he promised he´ll behave. Now Scott would never let him go along when Derek came back to Beacon Hills.

Reasonable speaking Stiles had been very normal around Cora Hale and the rest of the friend-thieves. Even Lydia Martin acknowledges his existence and didn´t look too annoyed when they had lunch every day.

But after that fiasco he wasn´t sure he´ll be welcome to be near them for a while.

Stiles had lunch in the precinct with his dad.

“Are you feeling well son?” his dad sounded worried.

“Yeah, why?”

“It´s just… you have been oddly quiet. You never spend so much time without saying a word unless you are concern about something”

Stiles sighed. “Well…” he told his dad about the breakfast catastrophe.

“If it makes you feel better I´m surprise too. But Derek Hale is different, more mature since he was fifteen, I often see him like an adult instead of a teenager. I wonder…” his dad got lost in his thoughts for a bit. “Anyway, I think is a good thing to wait for the right person. I´m glad your mother did, otherwise she could end up married to another lucky bastard and I wouldn´t had experince real bliss”

They stayed silent. His dad didn´t talk about his mom. Never. That came out of nowhere and Stiles had a lot to think about now.

\--**--

On the afternoon Derek walk with Talia through the preserve like the used to. She asked his opinion on several pack related themes and Derek told her about the witch he met.

“I figured it was something like that what kept you away from the pack” she smiled warmly.

“I miss the family but-”

“I was talking about your own pack honey”

“Mom” he sighted “I told you, I’m just keeping an eye on them. I won´t bring them to our world again”

“And I know some things are meant to be my beautiful pup” She caress his cheek. “And about the witch, be careful. Don´t hesitate in asking for help. I bet Alan knows more about this matter than any of us”

“It´ll be okay mom. I dealt with witches before.”

They run back to the house in time for dinner. Aunt Lizzy was cooking.

\--**--

Talia hugged her children tightly before they went back to collage again.

“No matter the years, you will always be my little pups” she said to them.

\--**--

Derek loved his classes. So much to learn about so many things. He felt very passion about history.

It was easy to live with Laura and soon holidays came. He deliver his last paper and drove with his big sister to make some Christmas shopping. He had too many presents to find.

Lydia´s came from E-Bay, a very interesting book about math and how numbers affected the world around them.

For Erica a golden necklace engraved, to match her beautiful golden hair.

For Boyd and Isaac: leather jackets. They were pretty appraising about Derek´s so he figured they will like that. Laura helped him choose of course. He rarely bought anything without Lydia´s or Laura´s approval.

For Scott a new game he talked about the other week.

That left Derek with a doubt: was Stiles part of the gang already? Was it okay if he bought him a present? Or it would be too weird?

Derek was deliberant when Laura showed up carrying a big glass board with a red ribbon.

“What is that for?”

“Oh, I figure we could give the Stilinski kid something he needed” Derek blinked. “He said it the last time we had dinner. He broke his board with a baseball bat, don´t want to even ask how, but you´ve seen him. That kid is a danger to himself every time he moves”

“That´s because he is growing up, all teenager are clumsy at that age” Derek felt the need to defend him Even though he knew she was right.

Laura looked delighted anyway and kept talking while putting the presents on the car.

The next day he texted Scott to know where was Stiles. Derek was walking his mom and Laura to the Sheriff´s house but didn´t wanted to see the kid. Not that he didn´t like this Stiles, it was hard to stay away but it was the best.

“Sheriff” Talia greeted.

“It´s John when off duty Talia, you know that” that simple exchange brought Derek painful memories. “Nice to see you kid, Laura”

They shook hands and walked in. The house smelled the same way Derek remembered. When he was a wanted men by the police he snick into Stiles room. He was so mad those kids blame him for murder, not once but twice. He had to fight back a smile.

Laura and Talia kept the chattering on with John while Derek breathed in his surroundings.

So many memories that didn´t happened. Well they did, but only to him. The many times he jumped in through the upstairs window to complain to Stiles about some stupid plan and how latter on he started to use the front door to talk to the Sheriff about some case.

They stayed more than usual. John asked him about collage and Derek was glad to share his experience and see the man so at ease. The supernatural crime rate was low and the Hale pack dealt with them easily.

“I- we brought something for Stiles”

Laura jumped out of her seat, ran to the car and came back with the board in a flash with a magnificent smile.

“I thought this could be a practical Christmas present”

“He´ll hated it” Derek and John said at the same time.

Laura´s smile waver and Derek felt his face heating.

“Did he tell you how he did it?” John laughed warmly. “Sometimes I feel like I have six kids instead of one”

“He is a very active kid, he is bright, observer, clever, few thing get pass that sight of his” Talia commented with a concerned expression that hide quickly.

“Fallowing his father´s steps” Laura added.

“Oh, not at all” again Derek and John agree at unison.

Suddenly his shoes became very interesting. Derek couldn´t raise his gaze, he said too much for someone who didn´t spend time with that particular kid.

John laughed and pet his back.

\--

In the way home Talia fought the urge to talk about Stiles being pack again, she had the feeling it was going to happened no matter what her son intent.

\--

Every Christmas was greater every passing year. Derek was mesmerized by Embry, Sam and Alex. How beautiful, strong and kind they were. He was thankful for being there for Cora this time. He felt this is how it was supposed to be from the beginning. Aunt Lizzy and Uncle Jeremy were a much better influence than Uncle Peter, who was still missing. Emma was eight and Efrain ran around nonstop. Laura had met a guy back in college and his parents look as in love as always.

This was bliss.

So of course that couldn´t last.

**

When they arrived to campus the news of three new killings was the hot topic. That same night the bell of their apartment rang.

Derek opened the door and found the young witch standing there.

“I need your help” she said without greeting.

“Der, who is it?” Laura stopped when she got the scent. “Oh, no, you didn´t” she snarl.

“You better get in” Derek order.

The girl stepped in without taking her eyes out of Laura. Derek was impressed that the witch was comfortable enough to obey and turn her back to him. As if she already trusted him.

“This is my older sister Laura”

“I advised you not to get involve” she snarled.

“And I choose not to listen. By the way, our alpha knows about it”

\--

The siblings had a stare contest. The only thing stopping Laura from attacking Derek was the idea of give the witch an opening.

“My name is Lucía” She interrupted them after a minute. “And we have to do something to stop the killings”

“What do you know about that?” Laura didn´t like her.

“I think a coven is behind them. These bodies are sacrifices”

“What is the purpose?”

“Make them stronger” Derek fell numb in the couch.

Lucía took a good look of her surroundings and finally seat down facing Derek with curiosity.

Laura stood against the wall with her arms cross and her hands into fists. She really didn´t like this situation.

“Yes, they are using black magic to gain power, spilling innocent blood”

“We have to track them down” Derek rub her face with both hands, he felt tired “I hate witches”

“That makes two of us” Laura examined his brother face, he looked older and wiser. When have he faced a witch? Or witches? Who was him, really?

\--

Lucía tilt her head. Could this be the same guy she dreamt of? Well, she was going to figure it out soon.

\--**--

For the next three weeks Derek, Laura and Lucía follow and identify every member of the coven. Five girls and one guy, different ages same sin. They gather with one objective: power.

Laura asked Talia about how to proceed.

The alpha made some calls and with Deaton´s help found a sorceress with authority to dissolve the coven.

This was indeed no one’s territory. The amount of supernatural beings attending to collage and living so close made it impossible to live in peace without some common ground. Basics rules to sustain harmony and balance what meant....

Derek spent the semester studying and resolving supernatural conflicts.

Soon the word spread like fire and before he could leave for vacations there were letters, e-mails, even emissaries or other kind of representatives arriving to his doorsteps asking permission for a member of their clan, coven, pack or themselves to be able to move into campus to attend the new semester, starting on September.

Derek tried to make Laura responsible but she shrugged it off arguing she had her own responsibilities with the pack back in Beacon Hills during summer.

This is how he ended up forging an alliance with Lucía, assuming a duty he never thought possible, not in this life or the other.

Lucía accepted as long as Derek was the leader. She and Laura didn´t get along.

Derek only spent one week at home with his family, played lacrosse with Cora and his friends, catch up with everything that happened in his absences and was back at the campus.

Lucía had an acquaintance that smelled like the sea. The girl didn´t talk but was a genus in the computer. They create a software to subscribe and catalogue the new supernatural members on campus. The young witch wrote some ground rules and distributed the pamphlets around.

There were shapeshifters, vampires, weres in general bitten or born, in groups or alone, even some hunters, they all had to respect each other as long as they didn´t represent a threat to others.

If any problem came up they could go to Derek or Lucía to find together the best solution.

Second year of collage was a challenge. Studying and attending the supernatural community was no easy thing.

**

After thinking a lot about it he suggested Laura to move. There was a house in the campus´s borders, next to the woods and distant enough to have more privacy. It was perfect.

“It has four bedrooms, it´s too big. Cora is just fourteen; she won’t be moving in until four years from now and then, with some luck, I might be back in Beacon Hills”

“About that, I was thinking that maybe Lucía could live with us”

Laura look dumbfound.

“Are you out of your freaking mind?!” She yelled.

“She spends all of her free time here anyways” Derek remained calm.

“She is a witch, a freaking witch and has some questionable thoughts about our way of life” Laura was hysterical.

“She just thinks is better to be open about who she is instead of lying. I don´t see the problem”

Lucía finally told Derek that it was her roommate who spread the mountain ash on doors and windows every night so she could sleep feeling safe. She had no problem on telling people she was a witch. Of course most thought she was joking or crazy but those who got to know her, believed.

“Our secret keeps us alive” Laura protested.

“Our secret keeps us apart, from the people we care about but are humans, to really know us: Friends, boyfriends or girlfriends”

“Why would you care? You are too scared to even try dating!” she roared.

Derek didn´t respond to Laura´s accusation. She apologized immediately but he couldn´t blame her. She would never understand as long as Derek kept his own secret from her. He wouldn´t put that burden over her shoulders like he did with their mother. Talia was too good with him but Derek felt the way she looked at him sometimes, almost with pity and pain.

At the end of the October he won about the moving out part.

In mid November Laura agreed with the rest.

Lucía was shocked.

“I´m sorry. What did you say?” she gasped.

“Would you like to move in with us?” Derek repeated.

He got worried when she didn´t react. He waited, and waited a bit more. Once the shock past, she nodded slowly.

“Okay… yes… why the hell not?”

**

Derek couldn’t go to Beacon Hills as much as he wants. He had too much work to do. He called Talia and Lydia every day and texted the rest of his friends and family almost in a daily basis.

There was a new supernatural problem, a different threat to the campus fragile peace, the Beastary grow thicker by the week. Windigos, witches, gremlin, other shifters, more weres, new hunters, all trying to leave a normal college life.

Good thing Lucia was good with computers and Ariel, the girl that smelled like the sea, was willing to help when needed. Derek system to categorize was fresh and creative but needed often updates.

**

Holidays were back in a blink of an eye. Derek suffered stress but it was worth it. He felt amazing every time his professors appraised his works or when he accomplish a deal between two antagonist groups in de “s-community” –Lucía’s idea call it that way.

He had his afternoon walks with Talia, played lacrosse with his friends –Isaac and Boyd were good players, Cora, Embry and Erika joined too- ran through the preserve at night howling to the moon with the family. Sam was eleven and looked more to their dad every day.

Lydia told him about Jackson… seriously? Whitemore was a jerk in this time line too, but Lyds was falling for him. Apparently he had a sweet and vulnerable side that no one besides her knew.

Derek missed this so much.

He visited the Sheriff like every year and accepted a Christmas dinner invitation to the Stilinski house even.

**Why?**

Because despite the fact that Stiles was too clever and curious for his own safety, Derek missed him. It had been long since the last time Scott took him to some of their get together.

But during Christmas Eve he got an urgent call from Lucía and had to run back to campus. Apparently this time of year was excellent for human sacrifices and street fights between vampires and harpies.

Why??? He had no idea…


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I´m so happy to see the kudos and bookmarks <3 So greatful to know you take your time to give this story a chance.

“Happy New Year Derek” Lucía said while repairing the protective ward around the patio.

Derek was fixing a broken window. It was January first 1:15 a.m.

“Happy New Year” he said sarcastically.

 She stopped the incantations and walk to the house.

“Sorry I called you and ruin your family gathering” she said biting her bottom lip and looking really sorry.

“It´s okay, they know why I had to leave and how much I love them even if I can´t be there today” he shrugged.

“You don´t look like it, but you are very honest and kind… with everyone”

“Really?” Derek laughed. If his old pack could see him now they wouldn´t recognize him. “I guess I´m just thankful. Time gave me a second chance and I won´t screw it up”

Lucía looked puzzle but didn´t asked for further explanation.

They had leftover pizza for “dinner” around 2 a.m.

“This is so not healthy” Lucía complain finishing her soda and unbuttoning her jeans.

“May be I should learn to cook” Derek said without thinking.

“I´ll be your slave for eternity if you promise to fed me right”

They joke around about food power before Derek realized something.

“You know… I trust you” She nodded bewilder by the notion of a werewolf trusting her. “But I don´t know much about you. No pressure if you don´t want to talk about it, it´s fine, but I´ll like to hear about you”

\--

She considered it for a moment. Derek was more than an ally, they save each other in more than one opportunity, lived under the same room. He was honest with her.

“My parents died when I was a kid. They were hunted and murdered by their families for daring to break the rules and be together. I was ten when a wicca coven took me under its protection. My guardian was a friend of my mother when they were kids. After a few years of studying I developed my potential to a new level and was granted a chance to try new ways in the art of Magic. Late I learnt that leaving the coven´s territory was a mistake. My parent´s murders were still looking for me. I hide my trail the best I can since then…last year, the boy´s dead… it was-”

“It wasn´t your fault”

“Yes, it was. I felt safe and fail to keep hiding. The Pombero used an innocent to drag me out. You heard it yourself”

“Look, Lucía, if there is someone who knows the guilt trip that´s me. Years of feeling less than crap, unworthy of happiness… but I learnt in the hardest way there are things out of our control and are meant to happen no matter our choices”

She was skeptic, what could a guy like him with a family, friends, a pack, know about deathly mistakes. He had yellow eyes and Lucía knew that meant his soul was untouched.

She was about to argue when a wave of misery wash trough her. Sometimes it happen, she saw or felt things…

He really knew…

He understood her.

Lucía forgive herself a bit that night and was able to leave some of her nightmares away. Derek was like balsam, healing her slowly.

\--**--

Honoring his tradition Derek visited Beacon Hills for every birthday. They were fifteen, which made this their last year like normal kids unless he made things right.

**

For his twentieth birthday Laura planned a surprise party. Derek was so busy he didn´t suspect anything.

He was walking back with Lucía to their place after checking a complain about a nephilim practicing the violin at five in the morning knowing his upstairs neighbor was a were-coyote with sensitive hearing and morning lectures. They sat down for almost two hours before finding a solution that made both of them happy.

He was immerse in his thoughts and memories of a distant future, that didn´t recognize the scents until he opened the door and people jump in on him from all sides, hugging, kissing, laughing. Everyone was there…

Lucía took a seat in the living room were now was an improvised dinner table to make room for so many. Stiles wave in his direction from the distance.

“What is all this?” he asked.

Laura laughed at his confusion.

“A surprise party silly” Lydia rolled her eyes.

“If Mahoma don´t go to the mountain…” his dad said.

“The mountain goes to Mahoma, meaning you” Boyd was as tall as Derek already.

They had Daniel´s famous casserole. Once more Derek was thankful for having little piece of heaven: His family, his friends, his pack.

“So, Derek. Are you going to introduce her or what?” Isaac pointed out once everyone was seated.

All eyes were on Lucía. “She is my friend Lucía Fabbatier”

“And roommate too” Laura slip and one of the guest almost choke.

“You are living together?” “What?!” everyone stated speaking at the same time.

“I guess you didn´t tell them” Laura was in so much trouble.

“I did” he argued.

“You said someone was moving in with you and Laura, you never said it was the girl you been dating” Lydia and Erica reprehended.

\--

Talia was startle, this lovely young girl was a witch? She hardly smelt like one, then she remembered his son saying she was something different. He was always right…

\--

“Why would you keep her a secret?” Aunt Lizzy played along. Of course the family knew the true but they couldn´t stop themselves. Laura was laughing hysterically and Cora looked worry.

Derek wished the earth to open and swallow him up. Now please.

Lucía in the other hand was quick to catch the mood of everyone. She smiled kindly and handled the situation like an actual adult would.

“I think there´s been a misunderstanding. Derek and I are not romantically involved. We are friends and roommates. And we even work together in the same project”

Lydia frown “Are you telling me that despite spending every single day with him you haven’t fallen for Derek?”

“That makes no sense, every human being will fell for him” Erica agreed.

Derek felt his ears redden. Those words made no sense to him, he was... well, he was himself, not that big of a deal.

\--

Lucía was close to lose control and laugh but she made an effort. “I know what you mean, I really do. Derek is anyone’s dream come true but we are not destined to be”

“I told you, they worship the ground he steps” Laura talk in Lucia’s ear.

They had been developing some level of trust.

A malice glitter shown in her eyes.

“Truth be told, I believe his heart is been already taking”

Another loud discussion started after that comment.

\--

Derek interrupted “I have a crazy idea, why don´t you ask me?”

Cora barked a laugh. “Because you´ll deny it”

Derek was honestly shock. His little sister really believed that.

“You are the kind that suffers in silence for a love that thinks is impossible when actually it´s very simple” Lydia confirmed.

“True” Boyd and Scott were in on this too.

After a bit longer listening to his loved ones made hypothesis about his character he got out the porch for some fresh air. Finales were almost over and after that he would have time to spare.

Derek inhale deeply and was caught with his guard down. That scent, that sweet and spice, sugar loaded scent.

“Stiles” he whispered.

The boy was standing behind him but it was the young man he used to know that he called after. This Stiles was starting to smell more to that Stiles he knew and care about… the one he failed to protect.

“Happy birthday” Stiles said.

His voice was changed too, deeper, just like the first time they met… in the forest. _This is privet property_ he had said to those dorky kids that ended up putting him behind bars.

This was so confusing…

“Thank you… for comming” Derek maneged.

“I wasn´t sure if you wanted me here, but Talia insisted and dad agreed”

Derek turnd to face the boy. He was tall and skinny, with a buzz cut and those big round honey-brown eyes he missed.

“Why wouldn´t I”

The boy narrowed his eyes “´Cuz you been avoiding me? Or the fact that apparently you hate me in some subconscious level that makes you act different with me”

Derek´s lips curled upwards but he fought his smile.  _Yeah, he is too clever… but sometimes he tends to be so wrong._

Derek shook his head.

“I don´t hate you Stiles. I like you” The boy´s heart skipped a bit. “Is it so hard to believe? I thought you didn´t like me very much for stealing you time with Scott and Lydia… so I thought I better kept my distance” he shrugged.

It wasn´t a lie Derek found out.

They looked at each other for a long time. Stiles scent was more appealing by the second… _appealing?, no_ , that wasn´t it…. Couldn´t be. It reminded Derek that not all was an absolute fuck on his other life.

Stiles smelt to Derek like… home… Scott unrealistically trying to safe everyone. Lydia saying something smart and confusing. Kira all sweet and deathly. Liam suffering big brother complex for Scott, Malia wild and learning to be human and Stiles getting himself in trouble with sarcastic remarks.

But he didn´t missed himself fiercely heating everything.

“Does this means we stop avoiding each other?” the kid asked unsure.

“I guess so” Derek felt the corner of his lips curled up again.

Both moved, shoulder to shoulder, to stare at the empty road. At some point Stiles started to talk and Derek listened amused, his voice was somehow soothing.

\--

The party ended with multiple invitations for Lucia to come visit and Talia and Daniel took everyone back to Beacon Hills.

Lucía moved her hands and things started to clean themselves.

“That´s just disturbing” Laura complaind.

“I can left everything like it was and we´ll have to do it the old fashion way” she threatened.

“It wasn´t a critic, just thinking out loud” She hurry to apologized.

“Did something more happen tonight?” Lucía asked Derek.

“You look happier” Laura explained.

“I´m always happy to have all of you with me…" He said but Lucia wasn´t convinced. "I´m exhausted. Good night Lucía, Thank you sis” Derek hugged his big sister and hurry upstairs with a smile plaster on his face.

The girls shared a look.

“You know something, don´t you?” Lucía guessed.

Laura smug expression was enough answered. “Good night witch”

Lucía narrow her eyes… ugh, she and Laura didn´t have the greatest relationship in the world but it was stimulating.

\--**--

Finals were a walk in the park compare to the grossest creature Derek ever had to fight off. It smelled disgusting and looked even worst. They had help though; some boys and girls from different kinds were starting to help keep the peace around the campus. Somehow Derek found himself coordinating and leading them.

Summer vacations were finally vacations. He spent most of his mornings in the family library reading and updating some volumes about supernatural wildlife. Not all kanimas were a killing machine apparently.

In the afternoons he played lacrosse with Boyd, Isaac, Cora and Embry. Sometimes Scott and Stiles joined.

Embry was a good goalkeeper, with amazing reflex. Derek had to blink every time he looked at his brother all grown up, strong and happy.

He still had the walks with Talia, she told him about pack business and how Laura was going to be a good alpha, but Derek already knew that.

Cora and Sam usually were following their big sister, asking about boys and make up. But Cora double checked with Derek about some of her answers.

Erica and Lyds were best friends; they influenced each other in the best way.

The Hales in general loved this normal humans being around.

Beacon Hills was a peaceful place to live since the Nemeton was asleep and no one dare to mess with such a strong pack.

Of course once in a while something went wrong….


	11. Chapter 11

An Omega, passing nearby lost control in the full moon. Many neighbors saw him and there was one wounded men close to town.

The Sheriff being the amazing law enforcer he was found the Omega before Talia.

__

John had no time for regrets. His partner was down and what it looked a lot like a man with claws, fangs and electric blue eyes was about to behead him.

John emptied his gun in the man after identify himself like the Sheriff and saw him gutter Parker, but nothing stop this… monster… for lack of a better word. It hardly bled from the gun wounds.

The last image that came to his head was his boy, seating in the kitchen waiting to have dinner together.

No, he wouldn´t die here. He couldn´t let his son alone in this world. He promised Claudia…

The claws were bloody and swinging his way when out of nowhere someone stood in the middle.

John released the air he was holding.

Shockingly it was Derek Hale who knelt down beside him.

“Sheriff, are you okay? Did he hurt you?” the young man asked worried.

In a blink of an eye Talia, Laura and Cora Hale were submitting the suspect, but they looked different. The women had claws instead of nails and Talia´s eyes were red.

“I guess” he looked to Derek “you have some things to explain”

John was one crazy thing away from passing out.

“Don´t worry, I’ll take him to the Hospital” Daniel said while Jeremy Hale carried the Deputy´s limb body. “He´ll be okay” Daniel assured him.

“Now, about that talk” Talia´s eyes were still red looking down to the suspect. “What if you come to see us after you lock him up?”

There was something there, something that John saw before but was less obvious. She inspired respect, fear, she was some one that gave orders and the world obey.

“You bet I will” He maneged.

Derek rode the patrol with him to keep an eye on the prisoner. The homeless men had neither claws, nor fangs anymore. _Thank God_.

Once in the precinct he let the rest of the deputies know about Parker being in the hospital. Filled the report and locked the suspect.

Derek was waiting patiently for him.

“I called Stiles to tell him not to wait up for me” he said to Derek.

The young men nodded. The ride to the preserve was silent. They parked in front of the house and it looked even more mysterious for John.

“We are still the same people Sheriff. We would never harm you”

Derek looked hurt, sad, and almost afraid and John remembered himself he knew this kid, this family. No matter what they were, they safe him today and thanks to that he could go home to his son latter.

“I know, it´s just a little too much to sink in” he put his hand on Derek´s shoulder and after another deep breath he got out of the car.

__**--

The talk turned out better than Talia imagined. John Stilinski was not easy to fright. The man listened intently to Talia´s big reveal and after finished showing her wolf form he made a few questions and finally said goodbye with a firm hand shake.

“He is all I expected and more” She admitted to Derek.

They were in the porch, listening the inside chaos that the whole situation caused. Most were excited, some worried and Laura was being Laura.

“I know, the Stilinski men are something special” Derek confirmed.

Talia turned to look at his son´ expression.

“Are you ever going to share with me…” she cut mid-sentence. What if her son didn´t know how he sounded when he talked about that other Stiles? What if he had no idea he looked in pain every time this young Stiles was around.

“What?” Derek looked back at her, no trace of knowing...

“Just… how were the Stilinski men on your time line?”

He smiled sadly.

“No need to tell you, it seems you are going to figure it out now”

**

The Sheriff proved to be a good asset to the pack. He was quick to recognize normal crimes from supernatural ones, was brave and smart.

\--**--

Seeing the world with a new light John realized life was too precious to waste any time, so he finally asked Melissa out on a date and kissed her good night after a magic evening together.

John talked about grown up´s dating and relationships with Stiles who assured him he was _cool_ with him dating Scott´s mom. He had a great kid.

\--**--

Lucía was waiting for Derek back on campus with some minor problems and new members of the s-community.

“We had some Goblin situation but Becca and Sean helped me out with that” She informed.

“Yu sound like you had fun” he joked.

“Actually I did” Lucía smiled brightly.

Time flew by… classes were heavy but interesting. Of course he suffered like any other student of insomnia once in a while, coffee became his number one meal any time of the day and some stress was normal. Despite all that, work was pretty awesome. They even had official recognition from the Dean that apparently knew more that most and one of the teachers was a born werewolf.

Back at home he knew Lydia was over the moon for Jackson… he would never understand that, though she show herself like truly was: genius smart, fashion lover.

Erica on the other hand started to have feeling for Vernon beyond friendship…

_Meant to be._

Isaac lived and breath Scott McCall when Derek wasn´t around. Isaac even had a talk about possibly been gay or at least bi and Derek advised him not to worry about categories.

“If you like Scott then, you like Scott, there´s nothing wrong with that. Don´t stress yourself to put a tag on you. We are all different and we all love someone in a way that is unique.”

                                                                                                                                                                           - _Derek Hale patent_. :) Feel free to quote him.

Boyd was completely oblivious about the crushes around him.

Cora was starting to leave behind the jeans, t-shirts and trainers and choose to go shopping once in a while with Erica and Lydia for skirts, shoes and lip-gloss.

“Our baby sister is becoming more feminine” Laura admired.

“Yeah, but it doesn´t matter the styles or outfits, she is gorgeous in and out anyway” Derek said.

“Agh, you sound like the big loving brother you are”  Laura pinched his cheeks playfully.

**

Around winter break, Derek was invited to a supernatural convention -No, not the show- in South America.

“You have to go. It´s a good opportunity to show others that our system works! That there´s no need to fight between our kinds and we are stronger together” Lucía was ecstatic about it but Derek didn´t feel like assuming the responsibility for the entire project like the speaker. Laura on the other hand was a better choice.

“Laura, you are training to be an Alpha. You should go” he tried to convince her.

“Der, my loving little brother. Stop denying the obvious. You are the Alpha of this project. You are the leader of the s-community. Everyone knows that but you”

Derek didn´t have much time to say goodbye. After talking with the Dean, both agreed it was a great publicity for the university; he took a plane to Buenos Aires.

This wasn´t the first time he traveled to Argentina, the country was beautiful and he spoke some Spanish to not get lost. He remembered the time Stiles introduced him as Miguel to Scott´s dad and Danny… that made him smile, how that guy get himself in trouble with his own lie!

When he got to the Hotel in Cordoba Derek had a chance to meet other representatives. He met a succubus demon, a shifter from Russia, a fairy from Ireland and surprisingly he found Mrs. Yukimura there too.

The first lecture he attended was about “the importance of remembering our origin”.

He sat down next to Kira´s mom and felt oblige to introduce himself. _There is no such thing like coincidence_ Derek believed.

“Hi, I´m sorry to bother you but I haven´t seen a Kitsune in person before.”

She looked at him with caution. “What´s your name wolf?”

“Derek Hale”

It was hard at first but eventually they started talking fluidly.

Derek spent three days going from lecture to lecture and even talking to those who were curious about his work back at the campus, having lunch with Mrs. Yukimura and discussing the fact that not all hunters were psychotic murders.

The last afternoon he actually met an angel, a berserker who didn´t tried to kill him and a time keeper that looked angry every time his changing-color-eyes found his.

A very friendly couple of witches invited him to travel to the North of the country. Derek had time so he accepted.

The couple’s names were Magalí and Yoana. They traveled around the different territories selling wards, herbs, spells for protection, healing and hiding.

A week later he had met the most amazing pack of werewolf living in close to Purmamarca, in a valley surrounded by mountains.

Missiones was full of all kinds of rocks that helped focusing magic, a nymph explained it to him and Derek knew he found the perfect souvenirs.

They said goodbye in Corrientes. Derek had a plane to catch.

“Thanks for everything”

“We all met for a reason Derek Hale. We just did what we were supposed to do” Yoana said.

“And with that she means we had a great time as well” Magalí kissed her briefly. “Be safe friend”

“You too”

It was summer when he left Buenos Aires and winter received him back home.

**

“Here, this one is for you” Lucía accepted the handmade collar. “The amethyst helps you channelize magic, or that´s what the nymph said. It´s violet like your eyes-” Lucía, not so tall and very soft, jumped into his arms.

“Thank you, I love it” her voice shook a bit. She held him tight.

“I never told you how glad I am to have you around, did I?” Derek hugged her back, lifting her body in the air. “I am very bless to have you in my life Lucía”

She cried… a lot.

“Good thing Laura is still on Beacon Hills” she admitted after the emotional moment passed.

Derek cooked “guiso de fideos” while telling her everything about the conference and his acquaintance and their protective spells. Lucía promised to try some of them.


	12. Chapter 12

For Erika´s sixteen birthday Derek showed up in her doorsteps to take her for breakfast, as tradition.

He gave her a cuarzo citrino necklace and she loved it.

The girl talked about Vernon and how much they all missed him for holidays. But there was something hiding behind her smile. He knew her too well.

“What is it Erika?” he asked worried.

She tried to change topics and avoid the question but Derek wouldn´t let it go.

She sighed. “Is the Epilepsy. I had another seizure and I have to go to a check out next week. I´m afraid they want to change my prescription again” big salty tears started to drop down her cheeks. “I´m tired of being scare Derek”

He put his arm around her shoulders for support.

“You know why I didn´t ask you to teach me to drive like Vernon and Isaac? Because I´m horrified by the idea of having a seizure while I´m driving and causing a traffic accident…” her voice broke. “Is a constant shadow following everywhere... I´m always scare”

Derek couldn´t stand and watch her live like this. After letting her at school he went to see Talia and asked her to offer the bite to Erica.

“I know what I´m asking mom, but-“

“I always knew this day would come my son" she put a hand on his shoulder. "Since the day you brought her home. Erica is sixteen now, she can make the choice”

Derek was relived his mother understood. “Thank you mom”

“We can go tonight” she smiled calmly.

**

Derek was nervous. Worst than when the Sheriff found out about them. This was being true about who he was and offering a life changing opportunity.

He had his head down during Talia´s reveal. She asked him to wolf out in front of the girl. He let his eyes glow yellow, showed his fangs and claws without making eye contact.

This situation was too familiar.

“You´ll be cure” Talia said the magic words.

Erica´s heart was pounding strongly against her ribcage.

“It comes with a price” Derek interrupted “A secret to keep from every one you know and will know. There are Hunters” He needed her to understand “humans train to kill our kind if we ever stray… an endless list or supernatural creatures that you could possibly have to deal with one day” He was becoming desperate.

Erica looked at him intently, no trace of fear on her face.

“I will be like you and Cora” he nodded. “And you´ll be with me”

“I promise” He flashed his eyes.

“Then there is nothing for me to be afraid of. I want the bite” was her answered.

“We will prepare you for this” Talia continued, overwhelming emotions aside “Explain the changes you´ll be going through. Best to do it after the full moon so you´ll have time to get ready”

Some of the burdens on Derek´s shoulders disappeared. He could breathe better now… she chose to be part of his family and pack again.

\--**--

Stiles knew something was going on. He never thought about Beacon Hills like a Twilight Zone territory until recent events prove him wrong.

Strange “animal” attacks? Sightings of monsters-like-men?

His dad who was the embodiment of patient and coolness and owns the slogan “Everything is fine” was nervous, tense and anxious. Stiles noticed this after the arrest of that homeless guy who terrorized town during a full moon. Key words: Full Moon!

His dad finally dating Melissa McCall which meant some life threatening situation had happened and made him value his time on earth more.

In town rumors spread about a humanoid figure with fangs and claws was sighted around. That could just been categorized like a trick-play of the weak mind. Why Stiles cared about it? Because of the rest of the rumor, the glowing eyes shit.

Ok, the man that was attacked insisted the eyes were electric blue and Stiles hadn´t seen that before…. But, he was under the impression of seeing some people –from the same bloodline- flashed his eyes yellow.

Granted, blue and yellow were not the same color, but glowing or flashing eyes? Real supernatural shit.

And it always went back to the Hale.

No matter what Scott or his dad said, he was not obsessed. Not at all. He had a very healthy interest about their strange behavior, that´s all.

If he learnt something by being the Sheriff´s son was that more than two was a pattern.

1-    They always seemed to know things they shouldn’t.

2-    Cora´s reaction when they first met. Seriously? “Oh my gosh. It´s you” not the less suspicious first sentence to say.

3-    Derek I-am-too-good-to-be-true Hale. Too much to say about this matter.

4-    The way Cora´s eyes flashed yellow when she got angry, not to mention the growls, snarls and death glares –this had to be supernatural.

5-    The way they felt Erica´s seizure before it happened… like dogs…

“Wait a minute….” He muttered to himself.

Stiles stop writing his list. Taking the paper and standing up in front of his board –he promised himself not to play Jedi with the baseball bat in his room again after the last incident – he repeated and wrote in the glass surface some of the key words.

Full moon – claws – fang – eye changing color –mood swings.

“The homeless man looked like he lived in the forest”

\- forest – preserve – Hale family.

“I have officially lost my mind” Stiles looked intently at the last words he wrote. “I should find a new hobby” he throw the marker in the desk and the list on the trash can before going downstairs to make dinner.

\--**--

When John Stilinski passed in front of his son´s open room he never expected to read the word WEREWOLF in red ink in the middle of the glass board.

He froze mid way to the bathroom. It was impossible for his son to figure it out. Right?... right?

He rub his face with both hands. Why had Stiles to be so observant and clever?

\--**--

Erica did amazing in controlling his senses, just like the first time. She had some temper problems but Cora never left her side. Derek spent more weekends on Beacon Hills to be there for her.

“Why not offer the bite to Boyd and Isaac?” she asked after running a race to the limits of the preserve.

“I thought about it. May be some day in the future… but I want them safe most of all. Your life is better now Erica but theirs could be worst with the burden of the bite”

“You are the only one that sees a down side to this” She back flip just to prove her point. “Isn´t the bite a gift?”

“Yes, it´s a gift” he admitted.

“Great, because I think is AWSOME!” she howled to the sunset.

Erica was bursting with life and excitement, feeling everything with sharper senses.

**

Lucía had their suitcase ready when he came back from classes.

“Are we going somewhere?”

“Yes, Derek, we are going to Beacon Hills. Laura is ready to drive us” she grinned.

“What about work?” he asked preoccupied.

“All set, don´t you dare worry about it." She pointed a finger to him, knowing him too well. "Beca and Sean are in charge to call me if anything mayor happens”

She smiled at him and send the bags levitating to the car.

“Really?” Derek made a gesture.

“It´s who I am, and thanks to you I´m not afraid to show it”

Laura jumped from the first floor. No need for stairs in this house.

“Let´s go! I have a date with a handsome man in a uniform waiting for me” she winked at her brother.

It was true, Sheriff Stilinski was waiting to interview Laura who had her criminology degree and wanted to join the force.

\--

Truth be told John felt safer knowing she was going to be their backup.

\--**--

This was it. _The_ summer vacation.

Derek was hyper alert. He had Erica, Isaac and Boyd practically living with them. He warned his alpha about the life changing scenarios that could happened.

But everything was calm… no strange murders or missing people. Nothing.

Lucía was gathering everyone in the yard one afternoon.

“So, I already told you I´m a witch” Laura wasn´t happy about this but she had Talia´s permission. “And just to be really clear I wanted to show you what that meant”

She moved her hands in delicate circles and the leaf started to mimic the movements, following her silent tune.

The pack was speechless, looking enthralled about the show they were witnessing.

Little Ephraín, was almost five, couldn´t resist the temptation and tried to catch a leaf. Soon the teens join him.

“The one that catches the most wins!” Talia yelled and the grownups joined the frenzy of leaf hunting.

Lucía danced all over the yard, her body like the wind carrying the elusive leafs away and close, away and up, away and down. Even Laura was running around.

“I win!!” Scream Samatha who had seven brown-ish leafs on her tiny hands.

“Then you can make a wish”

Lucía light one of her fingers up with a small flame.

Sam close her eyes shut and blew.

“I´m not a mind reader” Lucía smiled warmly.

“Oh, sorry. I want us, my pack, together forever” she said in all her innocence.

Daniel lifted the ten year old up in his arms. “That´s not a wish, that´s a fact”

She giggled. “Then I want snow”

Derek hurried to warn. “Lucía don´t make it too big”

One corner of her lip curled up and the mischief gleam on her eyes made Derek repeat her command.

Her eyes flashed purple for a brief second, looking up, extending her arms and moving her fingers like reaching the sky.

In a blink of an eye the house and grounds were inside a crystal sphere with white freckles of snow falling and covering every surface.

“The winner´s wish are my command” she said solemnly.

Derek saw every member of his pack and family let the inner kid take control. They were running around, making snow angels, throwing snow balls and laughing.

“She is amazing Derek” Talia and her son where the only ones watching from afar.

“Yes, she is”

“You are very lucky to have her in your pack”

Derek looked at Erica and Boyd gathering snow to make a miniature snow man and Isaac helping Alex make perfect snow angels.

“This time I won´t argue” he said.

His Alpha laughed. “Seems that snow in August is not the only miracle today”

**

Derek and Isaac were seating in the car in front of the Lahey house.

“You are taking the whole magic thing pretty well” he admitted.

The sixteen year old boy looked back at him.

“I believe in miracles since the day you came to look for me with Erika and Boyd. If you were to tell me that superman is real and tomorrow will rain pizza, I will believe you Derek”

Derek was overwhelmed with so much trust.

“I´m here for you Isaac, always will be… and I´ll like you to know everything about me…”

This was it; he felt it in his guts, the moment to come clean with Isaac. He told him about his true nature and his family´ secret.

“You are part of my pack, you had been since you were ten. I´m sorry I haven´t told you before but it is not just my secret, and I value your safety above all”

Isaac was mesmerized. He didn´t need Derek to show him, he knew it was true, every single word.

“Take me with you” he said “Please Derek I can´t live here anymore. You are more my family than the man in side that house had been for years”

Derek knew what he had to do.

“I´ll talk with my mother, we´ll think something out. But about the bite, you can wait. It´s a very important decision.”

“I understand. I promise to think it though”

\--

Isaac got out of the car already dreaming of his new life. Not as a werewolf because he had no idea how that worked, but as a permanent member of the Hales.  Even better, like Derek´s brother.

\--**--

School started again. There was a new girl in town and Scott felt head over hills for her.

Stiles had to hear him talk about the Argent girl 24x7. Any efforts of making a conversation about, let´s say: Erica´s miracle recovery, Isaac´s new home address or the weird weather change last month that practically every News reported, was pointless.

Once Jackson and Lydia became _the_ couple of school, he and Danny became the new members of the lunch table. Luckily for Scott Lydia brought Allison Argent along. Cora didn´t looked too please about that and took a seat as far of the new girls as she could….

 _Mmmmm… Argent why is that familiar?_ Stiles wondered.

The bright side was that Jackson wasn´t the usual douchbag anymore. Lydia had him on a leash. She was amazing like that.

Cora and Erica were inseparable… more than usual. Once he made a sarcastic remark and Erica´s brown-light eyes flashed yellow.

Yes, it was time for: a) go see a doctor or b) go with the W theory.

The really cool thing was that couch Finstock named him first string; that was amazing. All the summer intensive practice paid back!

The down side…? he only saw Derek twice. Twice!!

The first time was an afternoon when the hottest-guy-in-this-universe was making grocery shopping with Emma, Alex and Lucía -That girl seemed to be the new adoptive Hale member.

The second time Derek was picking the girls from the movies, so he sneak out as soon as he knew Derek was outside to say hi… he just wanted to say hi.

Derek told him about collage and Laura moving back to Beacon Hills to work in the precinct. –Stiles knew that already but he enjoyed listening from Derek anyways.

“So, it´s just you and Lucía now” he tried to sound cool.

“For now… as soon as Cora and the rest finish high school I´ll be waiting” Stiles didn´t comment. “I´m thinking on doing a Master so I´ll be around for a couple of years more”

“That, sounds… awesome” Stiles lied and somehow Derek noticed.

“Stiles what´s wrong?” he frowned worried.

His heart was pounding against his ears. _What is wrong?_

Everything was wrong when Derek Hale wasn´t around. And everything was wrong when he was…

Stiles was smart enough to understand that half of his brain was control by hormones, he was a healthy teenage boy so it was understandable he was attracted to Derek, perfect jaw, hazel piercing eyes that looked inside your very soul and a body worth of the Greek´s gods envy.

But he realized he was in trouble when the other half of his brain wanted him too. He wanted to know him better, to uncover the mystery behind every tiny expression of eyebrows, why Derek was different with him.

When Stiles was eight he said out loud in his classroom he would marry Lydia Martin. The afternoon he met Derek Hale he knew he had been a fool.

At thirteen Stiles couldn´t quite understand the fundamental change he suffered because of a daring smile and a leather jacket. No, the discovery came recently when all he could think about was to taste those lips.

“Nothing” he lied again. And again Derek noticed.

“Stiles-” he looked preoccupied but the people was coming out, the movie was over and so their time together.

 _I like you_ , he wanted to say, but he was just… Stiles. What chance did he have?

He was brought to reality by Cora. She was shaking him. They were alone in the cafeteria.

“What?” he blinked at her.

“The bell Stiles, what is wrong with you?” she smirked.

“Nothing”

By the looked Cora give him the Hales were walking lie-detectors. Another thing to add to the werewolf theory.

“I knew something happened. Derek was like this too after your little talk outside the movies” she narrowed her eyes at him.

“I don´t know what you are talking-”

“Don´t even bother. My brother looked oblivious of the rest of the world too and I know he invited you with Scott more than once”

 _And he even went to see me but I didn´t opened the door…_ Stiles regreted.

“I was busy” a lie again.

Cora´s death glare was terrifying.

“No, you were avoiding him” she accused.

“Just drop it Cora. Nothing happened and it´s better this way” he stood up, angry.

“Ugh, I hate it when Laura is right” she complained walking down the hall. They were late for biology.

“What does Laura-” he started confused.

“She said something like this was going to happen. But listen to me Stilinski" Cora turned to face him "I made myself a promise and I plan to keep it” she threaten.

Stiles was at a lost point. Nothing of what she just said made sense.

He got into class and like usual all he could think about for the rest of the day was Derek impossible-to-get Hale.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEY!!!! I am so much closer to end typing this story!! thanks for keep reading. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!
> 
> The playlist that keeps me motivated is a mix of unrelated themes :) 
> 
> like this:
> 
> Avril Lavigne - When You're Gone ---- (can you imagine who I relate this theme to?)

“The Argents moved to Beacon Hills” Talia was holding the cell phone so tightly that it´d break any time soon.

“Mom, Chris Argent is a good man that fallows the code and has nothing to do with his psychotic sister” Derek assured her.

“Are you asking me to let that man live here? his daughter attending the school with your sister? He shares the same blood and upbringing that the people that tried to kill my pack” Talia was outrage.

“You need to be calm to handle this right mom.” Derek advised.

“No, YOU are going to do this” Derek was silent. “I need to know why they moved here of all places and you are the only one in the pack that doesn´t want to rip an Argent´s throat open” She ended the call with a sneer.

Derek travel to Beacon Hills immediately and drove straight to the Argent´s house.

Chris opened the door looking almost the same. That was not a good sign. He should look better, not worst.

“Good afternoon. I´m Derek Hale”

The men tensed. “I´ve been waiting for this visit”

“Dad, I have that study group… Oh, sorry I didn´t know we had visitors”

Allison walked down the stairs with that grace of hers.

“Don´t worry Ally, just keep the phone on” Chris asked.

“Always” she gave him a quick kiss in the cheek “Bye”

Derek nodded goodbye.

“Can I come in?” he asked when the girl was out of sight.

Chris hesitated; then made room for him to enter.

“I know I should have informed the pack about us moving in” he started after taking a seat. “But I´m not a hunter anymore and I can assure you my daughter knows nothing about hunting”

This man was less scary than the one he remembered.

“What about your wife?” Derek wondered.

“Victoria and I took different paths after Kate’s…” he cleared his throat. “We didn´t share the same opinions and got a divorce.”

Okay, this was definitely different. The consequences of having Kate incarcerated paying for her crimes. The family fell apart.

“I´m sorry, that was too personal” Derek apologized inmidiatly.

Chris looked startled. “Look Mr. Hale-“

“Derek”

“Derek, my daughter and I just want to have a normal life” he assured him.

“And you come to Beacon Hills for that?” he bark a laugh.

Chris expressions become somber “It was my last resource… Someone it´s been hunting us. Threaten my daughter”

An alarm inside Derek´s head turned on.

“What kind of threats?” he demanded.

“Here” Chris showed him a picture of a burnt spiral on grass.

Derek started to breathe faster. It was happening.

“I can smell the oil and powder but no wolfbane” he said.

“I had some storage-” Chris frowned at him.

“Good, I advise you to use mountain ash in every opening of the house” Derek stood up and typed his number on the man´s phone before returned it. “It´s not of my business but you should warn your daughter. You are under our protection but I can´t guarantee many of the pack will be happy and willing to keep an eye on you” Derek was almost out of the house “If anything happens, no matter the time of day or night you call me, this is very dangerous”

Chris stopped him then.

“Why are you helping us then?”

 _Because we are allies… were… will be…_ he wanted to say, but instead:

“My Alpha once told me this town is a beacon for those who need aid, a home, a second chance. We all deserve a second chance Mr. Argent. I´ll do all in my power to keep you and your daughter safe” He felt his eyes flashed yellow, like sealing the promise.

He ran back to the preserve.

“Mom!” he called out for his Alpha.

“How it went?” she seemed to sense the concern on his voice the moment he spoke.

“We have a big problem…”

Derek repeated Chris Argent´s words and explained his suspicions.

“You can´t be serious. Peter? behind all this?” His mom shook her head.

“It was him the first time, but now I only have a hunch”

“Okay, we´ll keep an eye on them but” she pointed a finger to his chest “They are your responsibility. Understood?” The Alpha commanded.

“Yes, mom” Derek smiled.

“Good. Now let´s eat something before you go back to Berkley.

\--**--

Allison´s smile and good character conquered quickly everyone´s heart.

Cora was willing to forget her last name since she eavesdropped Derek´s conversation with their mother. If her brother believed they deserved his help then she was going to aid them too.

Using her senses for goodness, like Laura used to say, Cora helped Scott to get close to the new girl. Erica was on board but Isaac hated the plan. He was still human but considered to say yes to the bite in the future.

Stiles was elusive lately, focus on lacrosse and study group. Yes, they still did that twice a week.

Finally around December opportunity favor Scott! Allison accepted his invitation to a double date with Lydia and Jackson – _Ugh_.- Bowling night was on.

Cora texted Derek about the new girl and how Scott was over the moon for her, even if he didn´t ask for, she knew he appreciated it.

“Hey Stiles!” she stopped him before the boy could run away.

“Yep” he didn´t felt comfortable being alone with her.

“Do you want to hang out?” she offered with a practiced face.

“Um.. I um, have a thing” he looked around, avoiding her gaze.

“You are a terrible liar” she accused.

“Sorry” he lower his head.

“I just thought you´ll like to hang out with us, sense the whole love-is-in-the-air shit seems to be contagious, we were thinking on staying away from couples”

He sighed. “Okay, where are we going?”

It had been Derek´s idea, but Cora knew his brother wanted Stiles not to be alone since his better half, brother-from-another-mother wasn´t paying him attention.

Derek was so thoughtful, he was going to be a great partner for Stiles… yes, Cora was sure _that_ was going to happened no matter what. She was a _hard core Sterek shipper_ like Laura called her.

\--**--

Lucía was running in darkness. The red-eye monster was behind her, full of hate, shame, rage and it wanted blood.

Lucía found herself in front of a dark alley in a quiet town street. Her feet glued to the pavement.

She couldn´t hide, nor leave, she was trapped.

The young innocents were crossing the doors to the street and the furry creature was waiting for them. It´s claws sliced easily the flesh and bones, tearing apart the bodies.

Lucía screamed but no sound came out.

The girl with white skin, pink cheeks and dark-long curly hair was left for the finale. Traumatized, was frozen in place, cover with her friends´ blood and insides.

The red-eye creature licked its fangs with a dark red tongue. It was enjoying this.

She looked a lot like the women it really wanted to kill. Slowly it shredded her throat with its sharp fangs. Blood splashed Lucia’s face.

She woke up sweating and crying.

Derek was holding her.

“We have to help them” her voice was deep and it hurt talking.

“Who?” Derek asked.

She saw a parade of bloody images. “The innocents… The girl… It´s coming for her. The red-eye monster is coming for revenge”

Unconsciously she extended her hand and with a shaking finger draw a spiral in the air.

\--

Derek knew immediately who she was talking about.

**

They drove back to Beacon Hills after calling Becca and Sean.

It was Friday afternoon. Derek talked with Chris over the phone to tell him to be prepared. He said he was having the talk with Allison once she got back from school.

\--

Daniel, Talia and Laura were listening carefully to Lucía detail her nightmare again.

“So, you see the future too?” Laura asked.

“What do you mean with _too_?” Derek frowned voicing Talia´s thoughts.

“I have some visions or dreams, but more often I fell things from both: past and future. Sadly I can´t control it… not yet” The young witch seemed sheepish.

They were talking about possible locations and planning how to deal with this rough alpha when Cora came in.

“If it´s looking for the Argent girl, why not ask her where she is and-” Laura tried again.

Derek lost it. “For the last time I am NOT using her like bait!” he snapped.

“It´s a good plan Derek” Lucía tried to calm him down. “We won´t let anything happen-”

“You saw it Lucía. No! No way!" he roared "I am not seeing her die again if I can help it!”

Something on Derek´s tone changed. His voice resonated with fierce power and a tiny red glimpse glowed under his yellow eyes.

Talia felt the need to reassure her domain on the room, instinct kicked in. She growled and Derek answered equally.

Suddenly the room was divided in two. Talia had Daniel, Jeremy, Lizzy and  and Laura on her back and Lucía was one step behind Derek.

\--

Cora felt her body freeze. Her head commanded one thing and her heart another…

“What is going on?” The fear on her question made the tension drop a bit.

“You are late” her mother spoke through clenched teeth.

“I´m sorry I was having something to eat with the pack-” _OhMyGod_ … her jaw dropped loose, her eyes wide open, did she just called pack to his friends? “I mean, with the guys”she tried to fix her slip.

\--

Talia was both: thrill and angry this was happening. She knew his son was special but suspecting something is very different to live it.

“So you were with the Argent kid?” she question Cora.

“Oh, no, Allison is in a double date. Bowling night crap and stuff”

\--

Lucia had a flash back. “Bowling… Derek”

Derek lost no time. “I´m calling Argent”

He was running before anyone could say a word.

\--**--

Allison was laughing his heart out. Scott was funny, kind, sweet, and handsome. She was falling skyrocket fast for him.

Lydia kicked their asses on bowling but she didn´t care. The red-head was that awesome.

They were leaving the place when a tentative hand caressed hers. She smiled encouragingly, Scott took a deep breath and firmly took her hand.

She was walking in clouds….

A chill wind blew her hair once they were out. She got even closer to Scott and the boy smiled to her brightly.

The car was a few steps away when something jumped in the way. It was huge, furry, with long sharp fangs and red glowing eyes. Looked like a malformed mutant wolf.

Lydia screamed, Jackson fell back on his ass and Scott stepped in front to protect her from the claws she did not see at first.

The thing sent Scott up in the air, against the wall of the alley. Jackson tried to run but the thing cornered them back. Allison knelt next to Scott. The wounds were deep and the blood kept spreading.

“Scott, can you hear me? Open your eyes!” she cried out.

Lydia was beside him in no time. “We need to stop the bleeding. Give me your jacket” she obeyed. “ _What does this thing wants from us?_ ” she thought out loud.

Jackson had a trash can like a shield. The thing howled like if it was having fun, but its eyes never left Allison.

“Me…” she whispered. “It wants me”

The thing tossed Jackson against them. He was unconscious now but unharmed.

“Why me?” she yelled.

The thing scratched the pavement with its claws drawing a spiral.

_The last time her mother visited them she overheard a discussion between her parents about the spiral burnt on the front yard._

_“Someone wants revenge for what Kate and Gerard did” his father sounded tired._

_“And you are taking her straight to them? They are monsters Chris” her mom was angry._

_“The true monsters are the ones who tried to kill a whole family in a fire!” his father snapped back._

Allison was trembling but managed to stand up.

“If you are here for me, please let them leave… leave them alone” she cried.

Allison took a step forward. The thing licked its fangs with a wicked expression. The claws were sawing back and forth, ready to shred through her flesh.

Allison didn´t close her eyes… she was brave enough to see death in its eyes.

She thought of her father and his warm hugs.

\--**--

In the last moment a man showed up and punched the monster in the face, sending it across the street.

Lydia couldn´t believe her eyes… it was Derek.

Allison stepped backwards and crawled back to help her with Scott´s wounds.

Every time the monster tried to come closer Derek stopped it, taking the attacks, wounded, bleeding. Once, twice, three times more. Never stepping back an inch.

A car tried to run over the creature but it jumped out of the way. Soon a gun shoot echoed the night and the thing howled in pain but his eyes were still on Allison.

Mr. Argent ran pass Derek then and hugged his daughter.

“Dad! What is going on?” her friend asked with a shaky voice.

“I´ll explain later. Now let´s get all of you out of here”

Derek fell on his knees, soaked in blood he turned to watch Lydia.

“Behind you!” she screamed.

The monster tried to take advantage. But Derek used his body to stop it again.

“You…” Lydia heard Derek´s voice raw. “Are not…” he stood up tall like a wall on her eyes. “Hurting my pack!”

A deep growl made echo through the dark alley and Derek´s eyes glowed…. Red.

Scott moved under her palms. “Hush Scott, everything will be fine” her tears fell down her cheeks in relief even when her whole body was still shaking. “Derek is here… he is here to save us, again”

\--**--

Talia and her pack were watching, ready to interfere if necessary.

“Mom…?” Laura whispered.

“A true Alpha…” Jeremy was amazed.

“That is just, amazing” Lizzy agreed.

“Derek had been an Alpha waiting to get out since he was fifteen and gather his pack of damage betas” Daniel recognized.

Talia was so proud, but now they had other things to handle.

She approached and her Betas followed, closing a circle around the rough alpha, who´s scent was familiar.

“Peter” she called him out.

His brother lunched against Lizzy and ran to the shadows. Her pack ran after him.

“Derek?” She hesitated for a moment.

“I´m fine mom. Go” he assured her.

His wolf was in complete control. She nodded and ran. This was it, the moment his son feared. But Talia knew he would do a good job, not because he was her son, but because of the man he became.

\--**--

Derek felt his wounds close. He turned to Lydia and the rest.

“Chris, take the girls to your house and use the mountain ash until my…" he stop short. Things had changed so drasticly in the last minutes. " Until the Alpha Hale confirms you that the threat had been take care of”

“What about Scott” Allison whimpered.

“I have people ready to help him”

He took the boy in his arms with care. Jackson was waking up.

“Lydia, send him home” he used a smooth tone with her.

She nodded without taking her widen eyes out of his and Derek ran down the street to the vet clinic where Deaton was waiting with Lucía.

“I thought there would be more” the man observed.

"Me too" Derek put Scott on the table with care “I got there as fast as I could”

Both worked on the kid for at least half an hour.

“What´s the verdict?”

“The wounds are deep enough to provoke a change. We´ll have to wait and see. May be he won´t change” the vet sounded hopeful.

“He will” Derek predicted darkly. He felt so tired all of the sudden.

“You need to sleep” he sighed and left his body fell insensitive on the chair.

“Not here” Lucía was complaining but it was late, Derek already closed his eyes.

_I failed Scott again…_

The nightmares came back.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I experimented a little bit here... What do you think? :) hope you enjoy it.  
> Leave a comment and Spread the Sterek Love!

Talia called Chris.

“It´s been taken care of”

“Thank you” Chris couldn´t believed it was finally over. “But… why he wanted to hurt my daughter?” he dared asking.

“Peter admitted to be involved with Kate. She used him to get to us. After she went to jail all he wanted was revenge but he couldn´t get to her so Peter focus where it would hurt her the most” the Alpha said.

“That wouldn´t work out. She doesn´t care for any of us”

“You´ll be surprise Mr. Argent… how thick is blood”

\--**--

Derek didn´t go back to Berkely. He had to be with Scott. After the kid showed the first symptoms he explained everything that happened and how sorry he was for not had been able to prevent this.

Scott, God bless him, was trying not to blame him. But Derek knew better.

Talia offered to talk to Melissa about the whole thing, that it was easier if his mother knew what was going on. Scott agreed as long as Derek was there too.

\--

Melissa McCall knew being a single mom wouldn´t be simple once her husband left, but she was willing to do everything she could to get through this with her son.

She expected tantrums, whims, fights, bad grades… but Scott was nothing like hat. Her son was kind and understood it was them alone against the world.

Of course he had some adventures once in a while with his best friend and got into trouble but nothing too big… or at least not too bad. His son wasn´t bad, he had the biggest heart on earth.

What she definitely did not expect was this…. Werewolves were real. His son was bitten by one and now her Scott was a werewolf.

She would thought it was a prank if it wasn´t for Talia Hale herself showing exactly how real it was. John was there holding her tight and admitting he found out about it not too long ago.

She was freaking out, this was impossible… until she saw her son´ expression. He looked hurt, scare… of her…

She stood up and walk to him. She hugged him tight and promise to help him throughout everything that was coming.

This was his son, his heart, the best she ever did, now and always.

\--**--

“Why can´t I tell him?” Scott complained again.

“Because is dangerous” Boyd explained. He was in on the secret too now.

“You know, Isaac knows, Erica is a bitten werewolf too. Why Stiles can´t?”

Lucía and everyone there thought the same thing but didn´t dare questioning Derek.

“Scott, the full moon is close. You need to focus if you don´t want to hurt someone” Derek ignored the whole conversation and inquiring looks.

Allison left Lydia´s side and walked to his boyfriend.

“Come on, you need to do this. We can argue latter. After you control the wolf, okay?”

The boy nodded. She was his anchor, a very strong one.

\--**--

John and Melissa were at Chris Argent´s house.

“So you are okay with my recently-turned-into-a-werewolf son dating your daughter?” she raised and eyebrow.

Chris had his serious business face again. He missed this face.

“Allison is under training now. She wants to know about the family legacy but agreed with me that not all supernatural creatures are dangerous or deserve to be kill just for their nature” he answered using his business voice.

“We should make a support group. Parents with supernatural trouble kids” Melissa joked darkly.

“I´m sorry Sheriff, I thought your son was out of this” he half question.

John laughed once. Then his expression hardened.

“Technically yes. But you don´t know Stiles. He already figured this whole thing out, all he needs is confirmation, and now that Scott has changed….” He sighed. “He will be in, sooner than we expect”

Melissa held his hand with love. She wanted their kids safe but she knew Scott would be better with Stiles… they were stronger together.

\--**--

The Hale family had a meeting.

“Is it possible? I never heard of a pack with two Alphas” Jeremy said.

“Derek has his own” Laura observed.

“We can find a way” Lizzy was optimistic.

Derek felt his mother´s gaze. She was probably remembering the pack of Alphas he told her about. Yes, it was possible but hard.

Derek stood up and the room fell in silence. He couldn´t get used to this.

“I´ll be leaving after New Year to Berkley. I have no established pack yet. We can work on this slowly.”

“I agree” Talia said. “Until you are ready, they will be welcome as part of my pack”

No one needed to ask who “they” were.

Lucía was outside watching the stars. She felt something bad was coming however it wasn´t the best time to tell Derek. She was going to wait until they were back at home… their home. Because Derek was her Alpha and she finally found her place in this world.

\--**--

Lydia and Jackson were distant for a while but soon he came back pleading for her forgiveness.

Scott was dating Allison and that explained most of his weirdness. Most.

The rest were just the same.

Stiles tried to see Derek during the holidays but he was a coward. What could he say?

“Sorry for not pick up the phone or answer any of your texts. No hard feelings I just like you a lot” he practice out loud before realizing he wasn´t alone.

“Who are you talking to?” Scott had silently entered his room.

“Hey, Scotty, my men. I haven´t seen you there. How is Allison? Everything is okay in paradise?”

Scott´s goofy face appeared and Stiles was sure he evaded the question but…

“Hey! Don´t” his friend warned. “I know is not Lydia. You are over her for years now, so who is it?”

“I don´t know what you are talking about” he tried to lie.

“Stiles!” Scott made that puppy face that left Stiles cornered.”Please? Don´t you trust me?”

Since he was aware Scott had been his best friend, his brother but this… He sighed.

“It´s Derek… I kind of like Derek Hale” he admitted reluctantly.

“Dude, that´s great! He is awesome and this way you´ll be totally in!” he beamed.

Stiles was… speechless.

“So you don´t think, I don´t know, that maybe is kind of IMPOSSIBLE?” Stiles snapped.

“Why would it be? He obviously has a strong need to protect you, that means he cares about you and I can´t believe I haven´t realized before. You´ve been obsessed with him! Of course it was love” Scott grinned.

“Hey! love and obsession not the same thing, my friend.” Stiles clarified.

“In your case one is the symptom of the other, but I´m just not sure which is which.” Scott tilt his head, thinking.

“I´m confuse” Stiles amitted.

They lied on the bed staring at the ceiling.

“Things were easy when we were kids” Scott said. “We could tell everything to each other”

“I´m sorry dude. I swear I´ll never keep another thing from you is just… it happened so fast… or not. I don´t know how to explain it.” Stiles said.

“It´s okay. We are going to be fine” Scott assured him.

“I do have a question though. What did you mean by _be totally in_?” he questioned.

Scott made a face that meant he wanted to bite his tongue. What was going on??

“Hey kids” Dad saved Scott´s ass. “Do you want to go grab something from the dinner?”

“Yes sir. Absolutely” the suspect jumped from the bed and hurried down stairs.

Stiles was tired of being left out. This was going to change.

**

For the next couple of weeks Stiles observed closer to his “group” and “friend” and found things that made the werewolf theory the only one fitting.

His friend had changed.

During lacrosse practice one of the older guys made a mistake and hurt Scott. There was blood; he saw it, but no wound. It just disappeared.

 _Super healing…_. It had to be.

He saw Scott bleed a hundred times and never healed like that.

His friend behavior changed after that double date night, but Stiles assume it was because now he had a girlfriend.

There were other things like mood swings he already noted on Erica and Allison was always there to put her hand on him and magically stop the rage…

And don´t even make him start on the asthma! The total lack of it.

Fine, there was just one way to figure out. Tonight was full moon.

**

Stiles had been recently –obsess- interested in wolves and werewolves. Modesty apart Stiles was really good at research, it was like his special ability, he fixated on some subject and got to know everything it was possible about it.

So he had some tips for this night-watch.

He rubbed his close in leafs on the backyard, looked for a good place with view of the McCall house opposite to the wind. That way he could disguise his scent a bit.

After a few minutes of struggle he climb on top of the perfect tree with some binoculars.

What he didn´t took in a count was how bored to death he could get after the first forty minutes.

Good thing he didn´t had to wait much.

The howling came from the preserve. Scott took his head off the bedroom window and roar like a wolf.

Stiles was astonish… seeing his brother jump out the first floor right to the back yard without braking any bones.

The blond curls took Stiles attention then. Erica ran over to Scott and they started playing like the little pups on the pet shop.

Their faces were changed a bit, the eyes glowing yellow. They had claws and fangs but didn´t hurt each other.

Cora showed up then.

“Come on puppies the pack is waiting” she called from the other line of trees and Stiles stood very still trying to calm his heart rate down.

In a blink of an eye they were gone.

Stiles stayed there for a bit longer. Part because of the shock, and part ´cuz he had no idea how to climb down without breaking his neck.

**

The next day he drove the jeep to the precinct with the excuse of taking some healthy lunch to his dad. Like usual the Sheriff received a call in the middle of their father-son bonding.

“I´ll be right back son” his dad said.

“Nomph phoblem” Stiles had his mouth convincingly busy.

The second the Sheriff was out, he crawled to the desk, plugged his pendrive, and introduced the not-so-secret password –seriously his dad should make it harder if he didn´t want Stiles to sneak around– and copied some files.

Back at the house he looked for the animal attacks, the homeless guy last year, the Hale fire and….

Stiles jaw drop to the floor.

Argent! That´s why it was familiar. Kate Argent tried to set the Hales on fire. That explained Cora´s first reaction to Allison. Except something had changed and now they were… not exactly best friends but they were cool.

Most of the sightings and attacks match the lunar cycle. Another point to the werewolf theory if seeing is best friend with fangs and claws wasn´t enough.

Stiles looked for the Hale family then. They were here even before the town itself but there wasn´t anything mayor besides the intent of arson six years ago.

Stiles kept researching the whole night. At sunrise his board was full of keywords, red and green connecting the dots.

Amazingly Argent meant silver in French. _Coincidence? I don´t think so._ It seemed as everyone around him was in on the big secret _but_ him.

Stiles was furious! Why he was the only one not allow to know the truth???

He was going to have his revenge.

**

The experiment: “ **How to drive a pack of wolves insane** ” by Stiles Stilinski was on.

First attack their most reliable sense: the sense of smell.

According to his research the wolf had a very sensitive nose. Stiles looked for the scents that Scott hated the most and started to spread it around. Soon Erica and Cora were sharing the same disgusting reactions.

Second annoy the shit out of them playing with their super hearing.

Stiles called their names and hide from afar making them turn over and over around the school. During classes he used that whistle only dogs were supposed to hear, earning them some detention time every time they jumped from their chairs. And on their study groups he left some water running to drive crazy to those who could hear through walls.

Stiles laughed so hard during those experiments. Especially after professor Harris made Cora and Scott clean all the chemistry classroom. that was a fun week.

The third point was more about payback than having fun: make them feel!!

Stiles was an ace on this.

With Scott all was about **guilt**. He remembered Scott all the time how best friends told each other _everything_ and how he trusted blindly on him. Best friend and Bro became secret weapons.

With Isaac was all about **jealousy**. How they were left behind because of the girlfriend and how Scott seemed to need her to stay grounded.

He took some information from Isaac. The boy was human but he lived with the Hales and that made him a good source even if the poor guy had no idea.

 **Anger**. Lydia was impossible to trick, but Jackson was another thing entirely. Stiles confirmed some of the slips from Isaac with the outrages of Jackson. Apparently Lydia´s boyfriend believed that Scott was only good at lacrosse since “that night” and he complained it was cheating.

“It´s not fair, I could be that good from one day to the next if I were like him too”

Those exact words.

 **Trust**. After days on working the girl out he felt it was safe to ask Allison about her family, leading the conversation to specific points like her aunt Kate in prison, why they moved there from all places and her relationship with the Hales.

Allison was hard to play but he got enough to know she was good. And that whatever she did to Scott, his friend needed it.

Boyd and Erica weren’t of any help so he focused on Cora.

This was the hardest thing of all… Stiles knew he needed to **get involved** to get through her.

“Can we talk?” he asked after study group.

“Laura is picking me up…” she explained.

“I can take you and we can talk in the way?” Stiles offered.

Isaac wasn´t around today. It was now or never.

She agreed and they were in the jeep. This was the performer of his life. Stiles made all his nervous ticks and stopped in the right moments.

He confessed Cora he liked Derek but didn´t know how to reach to him. And Cora started babbling like always. The difference was that now Stiles understood her, he got all the wolfy references.

Everything was according to plan until Cora said: “I don´t know why my brother don´t let Scott or any of us just tell you…” She recovered after that, invented something about Derek being shy or whatever, but Stiles knew it now.

It was Derek who didn´t want him in on the secret. Even Scott said it but Stiles didn´t know what to listen for.

No matter how much Stiles liked the guy **now he wanted retribution** for taking his best bro and not trusting him with the truth. When even Jackson knew…. JACKSON!!!

**

For the plan: “ **Getting under Derek Hale´ skin** ” Stiles re read everything he gather from the internet and real subjects a.k.a. friends.

Derek came back for everyone´s birthday so Stiles made sure to always seat next to him and make as much physical contact as possible. A random touch on the arm, a bump in the shoulder. Knees glue under the table. Small things to start with.

Derek was tensed the first few times but Stiles´ plan seemed to work just fine when Derek unconsciously started to answered back to the touches. He even got a t-shirt that smelled like Derek. How? Stiles had his ways, and everytime Derek was in town Stiles slept with the t-shirt.

Even Scott notice the scent on him once and looked a bit confuse but said nothing. 

If Stiles started to sleep with that t-shirt every night, even if Derek wasn´t in town, no one would ever know.

He waited after his birthday to complete his little project.

“What are you gonna do today son?” Dad asked after their Saturday´s breakfast together.

“Hang out with the gang” he shrugged. “I´ll probably stay over after movie nights in the Hale house” he winked.

John was still uncomfortable with having any kind of skin contact with Melissa under the same roof their kids were and his son was being as smooth as he could about it.

“Okay, that sounds fun” he cleared his throat. “Call me to confirm”

“Don´t worry dad… I will” he gave his dad a big smile before leaving the house.

Good, no one was going to suspect he was missing. He texted Scott he was going to be with Erica and the rest, he texted Isaac saying he was going to be the third wheel for Scott and Allison all day long. His dad was busy with Melissa and Cora told him Derek was staying on campus this weekend.

Just perfect.

He drove the two hours’ drive to Berkley and using Cora´s raw map, which looked like a three year old draw with green ink, to get to Derek´s place.

He couldn´t remember the way from his last visit because he had been too anxious that time to even look out the window.

The house was distant from others, next to the woods and had a particular air around that gave it a mysterious hint.

He was about to get out the jeep when a huge guy in a motor bike parked in the drive way.

He blew some powder and the air around changed. The stranger walked to the door, kicked it and got inside. Seconds later he was flying out side through a window.

“All you had to do was knock!” Lucía yelled after him. “Now look what you make me do!” she stood on the yard.

With a swing of her hand the shatter crystals moved back to where they belong and sealed back like nothing happened.

The guy tried to run but a girl with short black hair and a blonde boy stopped him. _Where did those came out from?_ Stiles gasped.

Lucía walk to the stranger that now was at his knees. Made him scream somehow and then give instructions to the other two.

“Take him out of the campus” Then she turned on her heels and went back inside.

 _Okay… okay…_ so, what did Stiles just witness?

 _Don´t panic, don´t panic_. He breathed in and out slowly. _If werewolves existed why wouldn´t witches?_

Maybe this year he would receive his letter from Hogwarts.

After calming himself he remembered why he was here. There was so much to learn about this new world.

Once he recovered, he jumped off his jeep and walked to the door. Stiles knocked firmly.

“Hey!” Lucía looked overly shock to see him there. Her mouth hanged open but nothing came out.

This was hilarious.

“Hey you too.” He bit his lip to not say something that gave him away. “I hope you don´t mind I stopped by, I was checking the College, you know, I´m just a year away”

“Oh, that’s right" She breath again "Please come in. I was about to go out, I have a lunch meeting, but Derek will be here soon and …”

“Please don´t worry about me" he ssured her "you have your things to do, go do them I´ll stay here” he grinned as innocent as he could.

“Well… umh… if you need a place to rest, there are too spare rooms upstairs” Lucia point up the stairs.

Stiles smiled. “I´ll be okay. Thank you for your hospitality”

“No problem” she narrowed here eyes for a moment.  _Hopefully she isn´t a psychic._ He thought to himself.

The second Lucía left Stiles ran upstairs to found Derek´s room in the first try. He took a quick shower, used his bath products and then rolled over Derek´s bed just for the kicks of it. He rubbed some of the guy´s clothe on and finally chose one t-shirt to take a nap with.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writting erotic-explicit I don´t know how to catalogue :/ Hope you understand it and like it :)  
> If you want to Beta this fic please send and inbox.
> 
> lots of Sterek Love!

Derek received Becca´s call about a shifter looking for trouble. He had to deal with that soon. Lucía marked him so she could track him down easily.

After finishing his paper all Derek wanted was food and his bed.

He walked half zombie to his empty place thinking about Stiles. He was losing it, the boy felt like pack again. The few times Derek saw him the kid was like the other Stiles, funny, relax around him, like nothing was wrong, like if he knew everything…

 _No, that is impossible_. No one had said anything and there was no way he could…

When Derek opened the door the faint scent of Stiles made him freeze. He left the back pack on the floor, locked the door behind him and silently followed the trail. May be it was a set up…

It wasn´t a set up.

It was the real Stiles, sleeping on Derek´s bed, with Derek´s shirt… this was a nightmare… a sweet, spicy, sugar loaded nightmare.

His wolf was fighting to get out. He was his, the boy laying there was his, Stiles smelled like _his_ , all Derek wanted to do was jump on the bed and mark his skin so everyone who looked at Stiles knew…

No, what was happening to him?

Derek clenched his fists and tighten his grip over the wolf and his instincts.

This was a nightmare; seeing the boy in a bed, asleep, in coma, without ever waking up…

Stiles woke up then and all his resolved waver.

\--

 _Wow, he has red eyes…_ Stiles noticed.  _Why Derek has red eyes?_ It was way hotter than it should be.

“Hi, sorry I assaulted your bed. But I was a little bit tired from driving” he felt sheepish all of the sudden.

“You…” Derek closed his eyes.

He looked tensed, with his hands into fists. _Good_. This was all about making him loose control and finally admitting the truth to Stiles.

“Yes, me” Stiles mocked, seating on the bed and ready to stand up when Derek reacted.

From all the things he expected, _this_ was not one of them.

Derek knelt in front of Stiles who instinctively spread his legs to make room for him. Derek fisted his shirt and plastered his face were Stiles shoulder and neck meet.

Derek inhale deeply over and over. And Stiles turned on instantly. He was on fire. Derek´s breathing was burning hot against his skin.

Stiles was holding himself to the sheets. He didn´t know where to put his hands or what to do next. This was not part of the plan but hell with it, he loved this.

Abruptly Derek withdraw, one second he was against Stiles body and the next he was against the door breathing heavily.

“I… do you want to eat something?” He asked but was already out of the room.

“What the fuck?” Stiles covered his mouth too late. Surely Derek heard that. _Fuck_!

Stiles went downstairs and watched Derek move around the kitchen with resolve and grace. He didn´t know the guy could cook.

_Could he be more perfectly impossible?_

“I hope you don´t mind me being here. Lucía told me I could stay but I can go back right now if you want to” he offered.

“No” Derek answered quickly.

Stiles was confuse. Derek wanted him near or not? Nothing was simple with him.

Derek was kind enough to give him a topic to jabber about. Help put the table on, and kept the conversation going during dinner.

Derek laughed of his dry sense of humor, and his warm smile encourage him to not hold back, Stiles could be himself around Derek cuz he didn´t judge him.

This was hell, why was he so amazing?

They were drying the dishes when somehow Stiles ended up trapped between the counter and Derek´s body. Stiles was seventeen and now shared the same height than his crush.

He gazed into Derek´s eyes not having to look up anymore. His heart was hammering against his chest. He knew Derek could hear it and wasn´t that hot?

“You have stubble…” he whispered. Stiles couldn´t keep his mouth shut.

“I should shave” Derek´s eyes were set on his face.

“No… I like it” Stiles stroke Derek´s cheek and he lean on the touch.

Next he knew Derek went for his throat, inhaling his scent again, oh, he definitely had a thing for it. But this time Stiles was not willing to stop whatever this was. He entangled his fingers on that dark hair of his and the other hand brought their bodies even closer, holding to those broad shoulders like dear life.

Derek hugged him tighter and Stiles was desperate.

“Kiss me…” he heard himself begged. “Please Derek just once, make it my birthday present, I know maybe you don´t want this-”

Derek separated enough to face Stiles with red glowing eyes. A deep growl vibrated on his chest and made echo in Stiles whole body.

“Why wouldn’t I? When is all I can think of Stiles” Derek said and Stiles was stuned.

No time to let that sink in. Derek was kissing him fiercely. His lips were hard and demanding.

Derek lifted him up and Stiles lock his legs on his waist.

The guy moved around the kitchen and up the stairs to the bedroom without breaking the kiss. If Stiles could think on that moment he would say some remarks about that fact but right now the young guy had no neuron activity what so ever. All he could do was feeling and it felt amazing!

Derek took Stiles t-shirt off and kissed, lick and nip every inch of skin he could find. From the neck to the waist giving special attention to the nipples. Stiles was restless. He made embarrassing sounds with every touch and kiss.

Finally Derek ripped the jeans of and before Stiles could process the situation Derek put him on his mouth.

“Oh, my…” he mumbled and kept going all the time repeating Derek´s name over and over.

The guy was driving him crazy with that mouth. Stiles had his legs over Derek´s shoulders and couldn’t help to thrust hips up to bury himself even deeper.

Stiles lock his fingers on Derek´s hair and Derek squeeze his ass. That made the trick.

“I´m coming, Derek, I´m...” he warned.

Derek kept sucking during his orgasm until Stiles stopped trembling.

“That…” his voice was rough “awesome…” he was panting.

Derek kissed his way back to Stiles neck, jaw, cheeks and finally his mouth. He could never get tired of kissing. It was the best thing on the world.

“I want to…” Stiles started to say but felt self conscious now that he had Derek looking at him with those hazel, green eyes of his.

He moved his hands down to Derek´s cock and stoked it slowly, unsure of how to do it good for him.

Derek flashed his eyes red before closing them and left his head rest on the crook of Stiles neck. His favorite place on Stiles body apparently.

Stiles speed up the rhythm, getting more confident and Derek rock his hips against him even harder. When Derek came he bit Stiles´ neck with very human teeth and Stiles enjoyed it.

They stay there for a moment, just breathing when Derek made a trace of little kisses to Stiles lips and they kept making out until their lips were swollen.

Stiles was getting half hard again and he was resolved to be straight honest. he couldn´t be a cowerd, not now. He couldn´t miss this opportunity.

“Derek…” he felt his cheeks burn “I want… I want to go all the way with you” he blurted out.

He saw the exact moment his words reach him and after a few seconds Derek left the bed, took his jeans from the floor and left.

 _Ouch!_ Stiles grabbed his chest.  _Why it hurt so much?_

Stiles was not going to cry, he wasn´t, he couldn´t! But he did. Just a bit. Rejection like this was traumatizing.

He didn´t move for at least ten more minutes. His head re playing everything that just happened. What? he wasn´t the right person Derek had been waiting for? Grated, Stiles knew that, but it was painful anyway.

He sat down on the bed searching for his boxers. It had to be somewhere… who cared, he could drive commando, right?

He sighed but didn´t move. He didn´t just like Derek… it was deeper than that. Yes, the guy was super hot, but also kind and he could be himself around Derek without being afraid of annoying him or … well he did just scared him away so…

The door opened. Derek had a plastic bag with him. He sniffed the air once and frowned. Oh, those eyebrows of his were so communicative.

“What´s wrong?” he frowned, worried.

“Seriously?” Stiles snapped, upset.

Derek drop to his knees again and Stiles body answered involuntarily, spreading his legs.

“I did something wrong, didn´t I” Derek sweet voice said with a guilty expression. As if it was expected of him to mess up when Stiles was the one that ruined this.

“Yes” Stiles was helpless, he couldn´t even be mad at him. “You left”

His chest hurt and Derek opened expression just made it worst.

“I… I just” he put the plastic bag on Stiles hands.

It was from a pharmacy… there were condoms inside and a bottle of lube.

Stiles hid his face with both hands. This was not happening. A hysteric laughter slip from him.

“I thought… Oh, Derek I thought you didn´t want this” he pointed between them.

Derek face was devastingly kind.

“Stiles… I want you” Derek caressed his naked thighs. “You have no idea how much… but I don´t want to hurt you or-”

Stiles cut him mid sentence. He was over the moon knowing Derek wanted him. Right now that was enough.

This round they took all the time in the world. Stiles undressed Derek with trembling fingers and touched and kissed every inch of his body.

“How do you want to do it?” Derek asked with a short breath and pink cheeks.

“I kind of always picture you… umh do me?” Stiles said sheepish.

Derek growled again like if he were ready to eat Stiles up… which was pretty much what happened. Derek gave him another mind blowing blow job and pushed a tantalizing finger inside of him when Stiles reached the orgasm.

After using a lot of lub –never is too much- Derek worked Stiles open insanely slow. They kissed all the time when their mouths weren´t busy else where.

Even though it was Stiles´ first time he knew it wasn´t just sex. This was more… they were making love.

“Please, I´m ready” Stiles pushed his hips against Derek´s fingers.

“I don´t want to hurt you Stiles” Derek´s lips moved over his.

But he was beyond thinking, Stiles craved for Derek… “I need you inside of me Derek. I want you filling me completely… Derek, Derek”

And at last Derek gave in…

It felt uncomfortable at first, but after Stiles’ body accommodated and Derek started to move it was good… so good.

Mind blowing, life changing. Sex was awesome!

Stiles felt Derek coming inside of him and it made hi reach the climax again. He felt Derek tensed and tremble above him until both drop against the sheets.

Derek kissed Stiles over and over and Stiles heart melt just like his brain. The world outside could collapse and they wouldn’t care as long as this bed stayed standing.

\--**--

Derek felt happy… more than that, he was over the moon.

He never experienced this… when he had sex in the other life it was nothing compared to this.

It was Stiles. Being with him, touching him, kissing him. Derek never felt this before.

“We should take a shower” Stiles mumble against his lips.

Derek took him in his arms and lifted him to the hall and into the bath.

“I can get used to this” the boy laughed.

Derek wouldn´t be able to let him go… how could he when it felt so good and right to have Stiles in his arms?

The front door opened and Derek heard Lucía, Becca and Sean talking about the threat they received today.

“What´s wrong” Stiles had Derek´s face between his hands.

“Nothing, I think I hear noise downstairs” he explained.

“Oh, right… ” Stiles relaxed again. “Lucía lives here”

“Yeah… we are not alone in the world it seems” Stiles looked back at him dazed and Derek´s heart melt.

They hurried and went back to the room.

Lucía knocked the door a few minutes later.

“Derek… umh, I wanted to cheek… Stiles is there with you, right? I mean Becca said she heard… Ah, well you know. And I was wondering…”

This was so embarrassing. Becca was a vampire and therefore her hearing was as good has Derek´s nose.

“Yes, I´m with Stiles” there was no come back.

“Why she didn´t answer?” Stiles whisper.

Derek stood up and opened the door to let him see the show. Lucía was jumping up and down and was doing some kind of victory dance. When she turned around her shock was worth it.

“I… umh… Yeah. I´ll tell them will have our meeting tomorrow?” she half-asked.

“No,” Stiles said quickly. “If you have thing to do, go”

“Everything can wait Stiles” He went back to bed and took the boy´s face to draw small circles with his thumb over the soft skin.

“Well I´m kind of hungry. I´ll eat something during your…meeting” he offered. He was so thoughtful.

Derek bit his lip. Stiles couldn´t hear about this subject.

“Upstairs. I´ll eat upstairs” he offered and Derek frowned. _He can´t know, right?_

Lucía clap her hands overly excited.

“Awesome! I´ll call for pizza”

Derek put on a shirt and held Stiles hand the whole time until the pizza was delivered. Becca and Sean were kind with Stiles and Derek was grateful.

\--**--

Stiles remembered why he was here on the first place. Derek not trusting him with the truth.

Well, things kind of changed drasticly now, but all the same, Derek and his frinds had been keeping a secret and Stiles felt insulted. He was trustworthy, ok? 

Anyways Stiles had his tricks to investigate.

He took Derek´s phone and called his, then hid it under the table before taking the pizza upstairs. That way he eavesdrop the whole meeting.

He wasn´t boyfriend material, he knew it, but all the same, Derek was the one to blame for Stiles behaviour... He was just concerned. He wanted to help. Thus he needed to know.

Lucía: The shifter that came today is part of a large pack. They recently started to expand their territory. They are coming tomorrow night.

Derek: It´s Sunday… we have a final on Monday. Why the problems are always in the worst time?

Sean: Professor Danvers won´t care if we showed up without a limb.

Becca: Good thing I´m into numbers and not history. Sorry for you guys.

Lucía: Can we keep with the pressing matter at hand?

Becca: For what I heard they have an Alpha that can transform into a white tiger. She is ferociously strong.

Sean: They kill the alphas of other packs and offer the betas to join. If they refuse, they are kill too.

Lucía: They thought the campus had no alpha. They are coming for us now because of the rumors that we control this territory.

Derek: That´s stupid. We help keep the peace; there are no packs here, just collage students trying to have a normal life.

Lucía: They only care about power.

Becca: You can stop her Derek. Stand up like the alpha you are and-

Derek: No, I don’t even have a pack.

Lucía: That´s not true and you know it.

Derek: I´ll fight with her if it comes to it, but we´ll try to talk first. Make her understand.

They stayed quiet for a moment.

Derek: If there is nothing more…

There were laughters.

Sean: No, nothing more. We are leaving. Good night Lucía. Derek… say good bye to Stiles for me.

Becca: Yeah… Tell him that you need to have _some_ rest for tomorrow.

Lucía talked after a few seconds: you should tell him.

Derek: No. We talked about this.

Lucía: We didn´t! His father knows, his best friend has been bitten recently, his whole group of friends knows the truth why-

Derek: I want him safe! You don´t get it, if anything happens to Stiles I… I can´t let that happened.

Lucía: What are you going to do then? Lie to him? Keep you true self lock inside and sneak every full moon?

Derek: I don´t know…. I don´t know yet.

Lucía: I know he looks happy… and you. I never saw you like this. Derek please don´t ruin this. You told me once that _if there is someone who knows the guilt trip that´s you. Years of feeling less than crap, unworthy of happiness… but you learnt in the hardest way there are things out of our control and are meant to happen no matter our choices_.

Derek: Did you memorize it?

Lucía: I believed in those words.

Derek: I´m afraid. I´m terrified of not knowing what would happened. Of him being hurt because of who I am… of our world…

Lucía: Just think about it. You don´t have to decide now. Good night Derek.

Derek: Good night Lucía.

**

Stiles ended the call and erased it from the phone record. His dad knew??? Was Derek serious about keeping his secret from him?? Even if his sentiment was heart-melting it was stupid to think Stiles would accept that. He was not someone to be protected from life, even if the supernatural world was scarier than the one he had lived in for so long.

Anyways, this wasn´t the time to freak out.

He calmed his breathing as much as he could and drop the phone where he found it.

“Hey…” Derek read the air again. “What´s-?“

“I have to call my dad… I´m nervous. Sorry” he maneged.

Derek sat next to him and held his hand tenderly. “We should talk. If you don´t want to tell about us, or if there is no us for you-” Derek started.

“Are you crazy?" Stiles almost choked. "Of course there is an us. I mean I want it to be” he hesitated for a moment.

“Me too” Derek kissed him. “Take your time to tell your dad if you want, I can go talk to him myself after finals” His words were shooting.

Stiles sighed. “I kind of kept the whole leaving-town thing as a secret”

Derek barked a laugh. “Don´t tell me… he thinks you are with Scott?”

“May be… may be Scott thinks I´m at your place for movie night and may be there they think I´m with Scott and may be Cora keeps texting me to know what happened because she is the only one that knows I´m here since I needed an inside girl to know what your plans were for the weekend”

Derek looked at him dazed.

“I like you so much Stiles…” he whispered.

And wasn´t that cute???

“I left my phone downstairs. Be back in a sec” Stiles give him a quick kiss and hurried to find his phone.

To his surprise Lucia was holding it and had an unreadable expression.

She burry her nails in Stiles wrist with a tight grip and something like a bubble formed around them.

“You know” she spat.

“Well the flashing-glowing eyes were a given” he snapped back.

He shouldn´t have, Lucia’s eyes were purple for a second and gave him the creeps.

“Okay, I know the basics: werewolves exist, the Hales, Scott and Erica. I had no idea about the magic thing until this morning when you did that _reparo_ -flip with your wrist and fixed the window. I definitely did not know my dad was in on it too”

“Oh my… who told you?” she seemed shocked.

“No one, I kind of figured it out by myself” he fought back an eye roll.

“That´s… you are really clever”

“Your surprise tone is insulting” he assured her.

They stayed in silence for a bit more.

“Okay, don’t tell Derek yet… but do it soon” she ordered.

“He can´t hear us?”

“No with the shield on.” She let him loose and the bubble burst.

“Just one thing, I swear, if you hurt him Stiles I will hunt you down and make all you nightmares come true before killing you slowly”

Lucía couldn´t be taller than Lydia and somehow managed to be scarier.

She gave him his phone back and Stiles nodded.

Once on the stairs he called back to her.

“Hey Lu? I hope your walls are sound proof” he smirked.

Her face was hilarious.

“I´m out of here!” She yelled outraged.

Stiles laughed all the way to Derek´s bed, who was waiting for him holding back a smile.

They made love one more time before falling sleep on each other’s arms.

\--**--

The next morning Derek made breakfast: blueberry pancakes.

Stiles left early so the Sheriff wouldn´t ground him for life.

It pained him to see Stiles go… but he had so much to study and think about.

This was his last year if he didn´t try for the Master. He could go back to Beacon Hills, maybe teach and have a year with Stiles… but then Stiles was leaving for collage who knows where and he promised to Cora and the rest to be here until they settle in.

There was his work with Lucía too… they were doing a great progress but still wasn´t ready for them to leave it.

“Being in love is always complicated” Lucía said that afternoon.

“Who said anything about love?!” Becca complained. “Oh! You were talking about Derek” she relaxed.

Ariel made no sound but it was obvious she was laughing.

“I think is the best kind of complicated” Timothy, a philosophy student and son of a hunter said.

“We should be concentrating on the task in hand” Sean was tense.

What was happening here exactly?? Derek was so oblivious sometimes.

They gather six more people to stand together that night. If everything was according to plan then there would be no need for violence.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well dear readers... this is almost it :) thanks for being with me during this amazing journey :) I am definitely doing this again<3
> 
> Sterek for ever!

Lucía had one of those premonitions. It was blurry and confusing. When she recovered consciousness she was holding the phone and dialing a number.

“Hello?” It was Argent´s voice and Lucía knew what she had to do.

“Mr. Argent. I´m Lucía Fabbater and I need your help”

\--**--

It was midnight.

“Why always midnight?” Lucía huffed.

“Dramatic effect, I guess” said Becca.

The woods behind the rented house were quiet. Summer was around the corner and there was no breeze.

The shadows moved fast. They were all around them and their leader stepped in sight.

Lucía turned the spell on and trapped it in the interior of a magic dome.

But something went wrong... of course it did.

Derek got trapped too.

The shifters tried to free her alpha but it was sealed by blood. Only Lucía could undo it.

Derek attempted to reason with the fierce creature but the white tiger wasn´t willing to hear. It attacked Derek forcing him to wolf out. He resisted the advances at first but the white tiger aimed for the kill.

Derek was losing; he was an alpha but with only one beta: Lucía.

The shifters were restless, waiting for their alpha´s orders.

Ariel was bleeding and using sign language to explain it was her fault Derek got trapped.

Becca had to step back. “Her blood” said with want in her eyes and mouth hanged open showing her large fangs.

“Sean, take her away” Timothy warned.

“Let me” Lucía painted a rune on her wrist and an equal on Ariel´s to give her vital energy so the wounds could cure faster.

But now she was weaker… nothing seemed to go right.

“We shouldn´t have come” Sean was holding Becca with both hands.

Lucía stood up.

“I go were my alpha goes.” She spread her hands over the dome “I fight along his side”

Derek was bleeding too much and the white tiger was enjoying the play.

“Derek…”

Sudden steppes broke through the night and into the woods.

“Werewolves” Becca announced.

Chris Argent was armed for war, and looked ten years younger. Beside him, Allison had a bow ready to shoot.

Erica, Cora and Scott were wolf out.

“Derek!” they hurried to the dome too.

“We are here Der” Cora cried.

“You can take that bitch down!” Erica cheered.

\--**--

Derek was tired, bleeding and hardly standing up when a rush of power struck him. Lucía was there… like she had been for the last three years. He couldn´t give up.

Not now. Not when he finally had found some peace and his heart was content. Not now that he had Stiles on his life...

The white Tiger attacked right for the throat but he blocked her. Derek felt his skin tingle, the power growing inside of him. He heard Scott calling him, and Cora´s voice too. Even Erica´s….

He looked outside the trap and there they were.

“Derek, we have your back” Allison and Chris Argent had the shifters on sight.

The warmth spread around every cell of his body and the next step he gave it was in four legs.

Derek was on full wolf…. The change came naturally, simple. Everything was easier to see and perceive. Looking through the eyes of the wolf the world became clearer.

He fought the white tiger. Claw against claws, fangs against fangs but ultimately it was Derek who kept standing.

\--**--

Lucía undo the spell. Derek speared the other Alpha´s life and banished it from the campus. The shifters left without looking back.

The second they were out of danger Derek fell to the ground.

“Quickly, help me take him to the house” Lucía said.

Scott and Sean carried Derek to Lucia’s room. She had painted old healing runes all over the walls and extra protection wards around the house.

“You should leave now. Take the kids back to Beacon Hills” she advised Chris Argent.

“They want to stay… and me too” the man looked at Derek, resting on the bed and his eyes were warm.

“There is plenty of room for all of you, but the kids have classes in a few hours and as soon as Derek wakes up he has responsibilities too” She smiled a bit. Still weak from the battle.

Chris Argent meditated for a moment.

“Alright, I´ll drive them back. Let me know when he wakes up” he looked right at her and Lucía´s heart made a weird thing. 

She downplayed it. “Of course” Lucía nodded.

She walked them to the van. Allison and the rest were complaining but they obeyed.

“Thank you all for coming and help us” Lucía said grateful.

“We are a pack” Erica answered. “We have always been Derek´s pack”

She waved them goodbye, and may be she stared at the empty road a little longer than normal... but who could blame her? they were exhausted.

Lucía had Sean and Becca staying over just in case. They slept two hours before the alarm went off and Monday final´s officially started.

**

The smell of coffee and waffles drag them to the kitchen were Derek was working his way through.

“Derek…” Sean said amazed.

“You can´t be recover so fast, that´s…” Becca was saying.

“One of the benefits of being an Alpha and having the strongest witch in the whole country like my beta”

Lucía stepped forward without warning and hugged the air out of his lungs.

“Are you ready for Danvers?” Derek asked Sean.

The guy nodded. “Derek I… I´m sorry for doubting you”

“I doubted myself. Don´t worry” he shrugged.

“But Lucía didn´t. I should know better by now. I´ve seen you work hardest things out”

“ _We_ have…” Becca agreed. “We might not say it Derek, but for us… you are our mentor, our role model” she laughed “our alpha”

“A vampire in a pack. That´s new” Lucía joked.

This felt right, like finally things were calming down for a while. No sudden feelings or premonitions, no bad omens.

Lucía hardly survived finals. And saw her friends make the same… except for Derek he had history engraved in his brain or something.

Stiles texted constantly, Lucía knew it was the boy because of Derek´s goofy expression.

Ariel and Timothy were dating too. It seems that close to death experiences bond people from different kinds altogether.

\--**--

Derek was anxious, he haven´t seen Stiles in two weeks. Phone calls and texting were _so_ not the same.

He drove to Beacon Hills with Lucía to see his family and he really missed them but…. All he could think of was the big talk he needed to have with the Sheriff.

What if John Stilinski shot him for trying to date his son?

Cora was talking with Isaac about how great their last year of collage would be. Embry asked Derek to help him practice Lacrosse. His brother was so big and strong.

Emma and Alex were having a contest about who was going to be the first on starting public school.

Samantha was the cutest eleven year old in the whole world and looked just like Cora.

Daniel and Talia were happy to have the family reunited again under the same roof for the summer. Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Lizzy were trying to teach Ephraín to not flash his eyes every time he wanted his older sister to pay him attention.

Laura was very happy with her job and was dating a guy she had to arrest once but was innocent. Actually she was the only one that believed him until they found the true culprit.

“A great love story to tell my grand kids one day” She joked about it. “By the way, the Sheriff is coming for lunch”

Derek´s heart almost lunched out his chest and all the werewolves in the living room stared at him.

Thanks heaven Laura´s phone rang.

“Hey Parish what´s up?”

 _“We need you, now”_ his voice was urgent.

“I´ll be there in ten” Laura hurried out to the camaro and was out in a blink of an eye.

“I guess there is some action in this town once in a while.” Said Lizzy.

“Probably some parking ticket that hasn´t being paid” Uncle Jeremy joked.

“Oh, come on, they stopped that crazy guy three weeks ago” Embry defended.

“What happened?” Derek asked.

“Well” Cora explained “there were violent killings in the county and the Sheriff followed the lead to some Jeff Bates that worked in the Electric Station outside town”

“But I heard he´d be released for lack of evidence. Laura was outrage because she knows he did it” Talia added.

“Those poor girls… And hunters call us monster” Lizzy shook her head.

Lucía had one of her moments then. Those were her eyes change color and her mind seemed to be in another world entirely. Sometimes it reminded him to the other Lydia. But Lucía saw more than death…

He said no word, just held her hand to give something to anchor her back.

When she recovered her face was unreadable.

“We should play a game” she offered and everyone became very excited. They loved her games. “What about…. Emma and Alex versus Embry and Sam. There are seven special objects hiding on the house. The team that found the most wins”

The kids started to run around. After half an hour of watching them compete Lucía dragged him to a corner.

“Derek…” she whispered. “It´s Stiles”

And just like that the whole world stopped for Derek.

\--**--

Stiles´ head hurt like if someone had hit him with a pipe… _Oh, wait a minute, that´s exactly what happened_.

He opened his eyes to find himself tied up from his wrist to the ceiling in a room that looked old and wet, like a basement. His feet where hanging numb on the floor and he tried to stand.

“See you woke up” a soft voice said and he felt a chill down his spine. “Your father made a big mistake to mess up with me”

“Yeah, well it´s kind of his work to catch bad guys so…” he was unable to shut up.

“Bad guys? I made them a favor!” the men kept telling his point of view from the horrific butcheries he committed.

This was just his luck. Derek was coming back today… finally, and what happens? He is kidnap by a psychotic asshole that´s probably planning to torture him to death. Just great.

“I normally rather female company to play, but you have a face worth of straying… We are going to have so much fun”

The bastard had a little table with all kinds of scary shit. He was about to put some gloves on when they heard noises coming from the speaker on the table.

“Fuck. No way” he hurried to lock the door.

“Let me guess… You couldn´t resist to leave some kind of note so my father knew I was taken? They are probably surrounding the building right now”

“Shut up” he hit Stiles on the face. “They won´t find us down here. You can scream all you want”

Crazy guy took a knife and shatter Stiles’ shirt, he had a cigarette on and was ready to burn or cut him.

“Your skin is so white and smooth” crazy guy put one filthy hand on him.

“Don´t touch me or I´ll swear you are going to regret it” Stiles spat.

He received another punch.

“Every time you speak I´ll hit you pretty mouth”

“Then you´re gonna devastate your knuckles, cuz it´s impossible for me to shut up”

Another punch and Stiles felt the blood drip from his lips down his chin.

The door burst open and the Sheriff`s voices made echo in the room.

“Freeze. Drop the weapon and stand back-”

Crazy guy made the terrible mistake of pulling Stiles like his body shield, cutting off the ropes that held him.

Stiles buried his elbow on the pit of crazy guy´ stomach and throw himself to the left. Someone shot crazy guy in the arm that held the knife and seconds latter Stiles was on his father´s arms.

They hugged for a long moment.

“I´m okay dad. I´m okay thanks to you” he assured his father.

John shook his head.

“It´s thanks to Laura…” _and her super nose_ Stiles guessed. “We should let the EMT´s to take a look on those wounds”

“It´s just a parted lip. Not my first remember? For some reason people always want me to shut up”

His dad huff a laugh.

“They don´t understand how impossible it is, even when your life depends on it” his father added, relaxing a bit.

“Come on dad, I knew you´ll find me” _Or Derek, or Scott_ or any of his wolfy friends.

He rode with his father to the precinct to give his statement, but before he could left the car his friends were all around him.

“Stiles!” Scott hugged him.

“Oh my gosh, you are ok” Erica sounded relieved.

“It´s the last time you scared us that way. You hear me?” Lydia threatened.

Boyd, Isaac, Cora… Stiles could hear Laura was arguing with Lucía nearby.

He loved all of them but right now there was only one person he needed to feel, touch and a lot of other things.

He passed through all of them and saw Derek clenching his fist looking straight to the vehicle that was probably transporting crazy guy. That was a bad sign. He could see the claws starting to show.

“Derek” he called. But the guy didn´t turn. He walked to him “I´m okay…" he rested his face on Derek´s back and hugged his waist "and it was a very human male that kidnapped me… no werewolf, or witches, not shifters or hunters”

Every single person present stopped moving after that statment and stared at them, at their intimate posture.

“Yeah, I kind of know that for a long while now. And frankly your surprise faces are insulting” he mocked.

Derek turned to face him then.

“There you are… I can´t even tell you how much I missed those red eyes of yours. I just love them” he smiled.

“What?” One of their friends exclaimed.

“Did he just say love?” Isaac sounded shocked.

“I knew it” Scotty assured.

“I had no idea” the voices mixt up all together.

 Derek concentrate on Stiles.

“I should kill him for hurting you” he said softly, stoking his face heartbreakingly careful.

“I´m okay Derek. I´m tougher than you think” Stiles was hugging him.

He trapped Stiles on his strong arms returning the hug “I know how brave you are… and” Derek looked so vulnerable. “I love you. I always have…”

“Good” Stiles smiled brightly “because I kind of had been over the moon for you since I was thirteen…”

They forget about the audience, the place, the time… and they kissed. Slowly, tenderly, with love….


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it... I hope you like it.   
> I can´t describe how happy it make me that even in a fanfic my otp can be together. This is why I love fanfcition… it can make our dreams and fantasies come true….  
> Thak you for reading!  
> Spread the Sterek Love!

For a whole year Derek and Stiles took things slowly. They endure a long distance relationship.

John made Derek go for dinner to the Stilinki-McCall house every time he was in town and things were awkward at first but only because John wanted to honor the long time tradition of making the son´s boyfriend as uncomfortable as possible.

Mellisa had a blast on those special dinners. After hearing how much John appreciates and admires the Hale young man watching his partner hiding that fact and trying to be tough was very funny.

Scott and Allison were perfect for each other. The couple of the year.

Lydia and Jackson had a major break up after prom.

Erica and Boyd finally gave the first step to a romantic relationship.

Isaac accepted the bit and it was Derek who did it.

Cora left a long list of heartbroken boys and girls, but she was determined to be like her brother…. Wait to find that one true love that would rock her world.

Talia and Derek worked hard to get along without feeling threatened for the other. Derek had two more years to get the master in History so they had time to be better at it before he moved back.

Erica, Boyd, Cora and Isaac moved with Derek and Lucía to Berkley. Stiles moved to Derek´s room and for obvious reasons Lucía made _their_ room sound proof.

Lydia went to another university with a scholarship for sciences and math. She was going to rule the world one day, they all knew it.

Scott worked on the vet clinic and attended to community college and had a long distance relationship with Allison who was training in France.

Kira Yukimura joined their little pack on the campus. They all loved Kira. She recently learned about her origin and was working hard to control her new abilities.

**

Two years latter Allison was visiting her mom in Los Angeles trying to make her understand she should be happy for her daughter´s recent engagement with Scott when a drunk driver lost control and collide against their car taking both lives.

Scott was devastated. Chris… Chris had depression. But neither of them was alone. The pack gave them both a small comfort, a reason to keep waking up every morning.

Derek moved back to Beacon Hills with Lucía. They left Becca and Sean responsible of their little project that turned out to become a “fraternity” and “sorority” House like a cover. Those kids coming from the supernatural world could find guidance and a home for their college years no matter their kind.

Derek was very proud of them.

Lucía opened a coffee and tea shop where she used her knowledge of herbs and her extra sense to help those that came in. Emma and Alex worked there part time jobs.

The Hales argue about what to do with two alphas under the same roof and they came to an understanding.

Derek bought a house near the preserve. It was in a quiet, new neighborhood and had a yard that connected with the woods.

Derek was twenty five years old…

**

“We are going to be late!” Lydia was on vacations and on her free time organized the whole trip.

“Here, let me help you hon” Erica help Boyd with his tie and he kissed her thank you.

The pack left the hotel on time and rode to the amphitheater. Once there they took the seats and waited for the show to start.

Lydia and Erica had a bet on whose dress choice the famous Cellist was going to choose.

When Paige took the stage it was with a pale rose long dress that reminded Derek of prom night. The night he opened to her completely.

“So, who won?” Isaac asked. He was seated next to Cora.

“None of them” she was holding laughter.

Deputy Parrish was using a tux and raised his hand.

“That´s the one I chose” he looked like he wanted to apologize.

Lydia was biting her lip. “Seems you have a better taste than me” she sounded resentful.

“Not at all… I was just lucky… like the day you said yes to me”

Lydia normally wasn´t that easy to forgive, but Parrish did that to her. She smiled a bit and reached for his hand.

 _Some things were meant to be._ Derek thought.

The room fell in silence and the Cello started to play. It was even more beautiful than Derek remember… all those years ago, hiding in the music room, praying thank you to the universe and the time itself for having the blessing of Paige being alive.

**

Derek was twenty seven. The back yard of his home was full of people he loved. The little Henry, Laura´s first born was giving his first steps and everyone was mesmerized by the moment.

Derek was in the kitchen slicing the cake. Stiles had just blew his twenty two candles.

The birthday young men slide his arms around Derek´s waist and kissed his neck.

“Thank you for the party” he murmured against his skin.

“You are welcome” Derek could smell his arousal.

“I´m planning to thank you properly tonight” he nip his ear and Derek had to use all his self control not to carry Stiles upstairs and forget about the guests.

“Hey you, stop with the -” Lucía had come inside but stopped mid sentence.

Her eyes were purple for longer than usual and she was trembling.

“Derek…” she whisper and Derek helped her get to the couch. Stiles was beside them.

“It´s okay, whatever you saw, we can handle it” he tried to sooth her.

“It wasn´t…"she shook her head "Stiles was in a hospital bed, connected to a machine” Derek´s heart sink with the memory. “You were there, next to him… and John…” her eyes were watery and her voice weak. “I broke through the window. I could feel the bullets bury in my body, your claws cutting my flesh…”

It couldn´t be her. That was impossible.

“I was ready to take all of you with me. But you wanted to save them so you trapped me in your arms and jumped through the window… I blow up both of us into little pieces before reaching the pavement” she was sobbing.

Well, it could have been her.

Derek never paid too much attention to any of the members on the Coven. Those days all he thought about was waking up Stiles, the rest was a blur of faces and bodies. Blood and filth.

Lucía could see in his eyes that what she saw was not the future. “Oh, my dear… I did that” she was still trembling.

“No” Derek correct her “That was just one possibility, one end to our lives that could have happened. But it didn´t. Stiles never fell in coma for saving me; you were not an evil witch in a dark coven trying to mess with time. Boyd never died in my hands, Allison lived longer… I never lost my whole family in a fire; Laura was never killed by Peter…”

Stiles was grasping more than what Derek ever wanted him to know.

“You told me once… you knew about loss” Lucía was understanding him better too.

“I met three women once. They told me: _change one thing and a world of possibilities will form before you. That´s life_. And they were right. This is our reality, our present. Our own choices took us to this point” He held Stiles and Lucía´s hands. “I have nothing to regret.”

Lucía wiped her tears. “I´ll take the cake. Chris loves chocolate no matter how much he tries to hid it” She took a deep breath and stood up.

Stiles took Derek´s face between his hands once they were alone.

“I know there are things you are not ready to share just yet. But I love you Derek. I will always be here for you”

Derek couldn´t talk because of the knot in his throat. He kissed Stiles hoping, like so many times before, for his actions to speak for him.

Outside Kira was trying not to say something too embarrassing to Scott who had a goofy expression against his will whenever Kira was around.

Samantha had his boyfriend over… -Chan Chan Chan chaaaaaaan-…. It was Liam. Yeah that kid managed to turn into a werewolf in this time line too and had a major brother complex over Scott… go figure.

Chris was mentally listings all the reasons he couldn´t fall for a younger women and failling miserably when Lucía gave him a slice of cake and a shy smile.

Laura was taking pictures, like always, of everyone all the time: Aunt Lizzy petting Uncle Jeremy´s cheek. Alex and Emma competing over something. Cora and Isaac had a handful of cake each. Her husband was ready to catch little Henry if he fell or try to took off running. Whatever happend first.

John was talking with Parrish about work when Melissa hushed him with a kiss.

Lydia was arranging with Erica their moving back to Beacon Hills next year. Lydia had all the intentions on starting a political career, the sooner, the better. She had his eyes on the mayor office for the close future. After all she could work from any place in the country with her talent now recognized.

Boyd was human; he rejected the bit because he had all he ever needed. Today was pretty nervous. He had been keeping the biggest secrets for weeks now. Isaac and Derek were the only ones that knew that night he was proposing Erica.

Paige sent a post card congratulating Stiles from England. She travelled a lot from concert to concert all year long but always came back to Beacon Hills for a few months and spent it with her friends.

Lucía stood up. “What if we play a game” And the excitement grew. She made the best challenges and the winner always had a wish.

Talia was grateful for being so bless. She had a loving husband, a marvelous family, a loyal pack. They were following their own paths and for now they were happy.

She looked to her son… the Alpha of a pack, the man in love with plans to make a family soon. She saw no trace of hiding sorrows, of sad regrets.

She saw **Derek Hale happy and in love**. And wasn´t that the greatest magical miracle of all?

 

 

 

Not The end, just the beginning…


End file.
